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Campaign Has Been Reached More Than of Five Hundred Students

Our campaign activity to save a critically endangered freshwater turtle, Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) has reached more than of five hundreds students in two Junior High Schools and one Senior High School. Their age are between 13 until 17 years old. The campaign that had been started since August 2011 is targeting will reach about six hundreds students until end of November 2011. After that, we will conducting a post-campaign survey to investigating the awareness changes made by this campaign to the students. We visit to that schools in every week to conduct a class room meeting and discussion with the students.

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).

Survey: 57.7 Percent of Students Did Not Know B.borneoensis is Critically Endangered

A total of 57.7 percent from 90 students that as a sample of this survey do not know that Painted Terrapin is in critically endangered status. Also, 38.9 percent of students aged 12-17 years in Sub-district Seruway only ever heard that around of their village is live species Tuntong Laut (Batagur borneoensis). Not a few students, about 34.4 percent, who had never heard that this critically endangered animal living in Seruway. Only 26.6 percent of them stated had ever seen this animal.

Releasing Khairul – Name Given to Male Painted Terrapin – Back to Habitat

                Khairul eventually released back into their original habitat. Khairul is the name we given to male of Painted Terrapin was released on July 26 at 2:55 pm. This male who weighs 9.5 kg, length (curve line carapace) 40.2 cm and width (curve) 38.6 cm released after about 7 days in the captivity of fishermen. Khairul was caught by the fishing nets on 20 July in area of Kuala Peunaga. This area is the only remaining area that rich of riverside vegetation Berembang (Sonneratia sp.)

Monitoring the Habitat and Nesting Beaches of Painted Terrapin (B.borneoensis)

On July 21, 2011, our team took a route around of 42.3 km transect using a boat to monitor the condition of nesting beaches of Tuntong Laut – local name for Painted Terrapin (B.borneoensis) – and the surrounding mangroves. The purposes of this activity are: look at the recent condition of nesting beaches compared to last year’s conditions; find the best location in which plant Berembang (Sonneratia sp.) – the main feed for Tuntong Laut – in the area; see the area where local people still use (logging) of mangrove wood . Team members were Joko Guntoro (principal investigator of initiative), Yusriyono (secretary of Lembaga Satucita and also acting as public awareness officer), Datuk Laksamana (traditional leader for sea management), Abdul Hakim (local volunteer in village Sungai Kurok III), Atok (boatman).