Establishing Headstarting Facility for Batagur borneoensis

The headstarting facility for Painted Terrapin has been established and still improved. In the area of 800 square meters, the facility is functioned as ex-situ conservation place to support in-situ conservation of Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) in Aceh Tamiang District. Batagur borneoensis is critically endangered species and listed as one of twenty five global freshwater turtle in endangered 2011 (Turtle Conservation Coalition). The species is distributed in Sumatera and Kalimantan, but has been facing threats to extinction in the wild due to the consumption the their eggs, the trade as pet and medicine, habitat loss (deforestation and land conversion).

This basic facility has three ponds, they are one pond for hatchery, one pond for hatchling and one for juvenile recently. The hatchery pond has large of 12 square meters; the hatchling pond has large 16 square meters and the juvenile pond has large of 28 square meters. The depth of hatchery pond is 1.2 meter, pond for hatchlings is 1 meter and 1.5 meter for adult.

The hatchery pond is expected could be to accommodate until 200 eggs. The pond for hacthling is expected could be to accommodate about 200 until 400 hatchlings. For the juvenile pond is expected could be to accommodate about 50 individuals. Therefore, we plan to expand the pond for juvenile in 2012, so it could be to accommodate at least more than of 100 until 200 juvenile. The expansion of the pond for juvenile and adult is an urgent to support the long term in-situ conservation effort. The pond (ex-situ) is functioned to keep the individual before released to the habitat (in-situ). By the assumption that the individual must have strong enough to survive, this is why we must build more pond for juvenile.

Recently, we are trying to make some improvement to this facility such as gardening, fencing, installment of artificial plants in the ponds. We are hope that this facility can be started to operate since next year, although for hatchery is can be started since this nesting season (November 2011 until February 2012).

The establishing of this basic headstarting facility is supported by seed grant from Turtle Survival Alliance www.turtlesurvival.org. In the long term, the facility will be improved and expected could be a leading facility for freshwater turtle conservation and education. If you want to know fruther information about the facility, please contact us at satucita_institute@yahoo.co.id and write “headstarting facility” in your subject.