RRI.CO.ID, Gunungkidul - A total of 83 olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) hatchlings were released into the waters off Wediombo Beach, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta Province, on Monday, August 3, 2026. The release took place after the search and rescue team of the Special East Java Regional Public Protection Unit (Satlinmas) evacuated the hatchlings from a nest located along the main tourist route.

Coordinator of the Special East Java Region I Search and Rescue (SAR) Satlinmas, Sunu Handoko, explained that the turtle nest had actually been monitored for about one and a half months, since a mother turtle came ashore to lay eggs. According to him, the mother turtle had left a number of tracks in the sand as a natural way to mislead predators so the nest location would not be easily found.

The team estimated the eggs had hatched several days earlier. However, confirmation only came after a hatchling was found emerging from the sand surface. The discovery prompted officers to conduct a sweep, which eventually led them to the main nest.

“Inspection results showed 108 eggs in the nest. After evacuation, 83 hatchlings were found alive, while the rest did not hatch because they had already decayed,” he said on Monday.

He added that the evacuation was carried out because the nest was located directly on the route used by visitors entering and leaving the area. If left in place, the newly hatched turtles risked being stepped on by tourists or losing their way to the sea because of heavy human activity around the site.

The release ceremony was led directly by Gunungkidul Regent, Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih, along with the Gunungkidul Police Chief and several local officials. Before being released into the sea, the hatchlings were first placed on the sand so they could recognize the sound of the waves, part of their natural instinct to return to their habitat in the future.

Regent Endah said the return of turtles to lay eggs again at Wediombo Beach was a positive sign for conservation efforts for protected species along Gunungkidul’s coastline. She noted that this was the second consecutive year that turtles had successfully hatched on the beach.

“Of course, the existence of turtle habitats must be matched by better tourism area management. Lights, noise, and high human activity are considered capable of disrupting both the nesting process and the hatchlings’ journey to the sea,” she said.

The local administration plans to review zoning arrangements in the Wediombo Beach area. One option is to provide a special conservation zone so turtle habitats can be protected without sacrificing local tourism potential.

As the sun began to set, dozens of hatchlings were seen slowly moving toward the shoreline before finally being carried away by the Indian Ocean waves. The release served as both a symbol of a successful rescue effort and a reminder that tourist areas are also living spaces for wildlife that must be protected. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)