Nyali Suin Africa Resort; haven for sea turtle conservation

Kenya Wildlife Service Corporal Hussein Shee Kwicha [left] shows turtle eggs in the nest to staff of Nyali Sun Africa Beach Hotel and Spa in Mombasa.

The management of Nyali Sun Africa Beach Resort & Spa have fully joined in efforts to conserve the endangered sea turtle species by establishing a hatchery top serve as a natural nesting place and carrying out lecture sessions for staff and guests on conservation of earth's most ancient creature.

The sea turtle have been in existence for the past 110 million years, experts have reported.

At the beach frontage and on a secluded location is a five-metre long hatchery cage that can hold up to 1000 turtle eggs in different small cages. All the turtles here belong to the Green Turtle specie.

''Since taking over this resort, Nyali Sun Africa management have remained highly sensitive to environment surrounding this resort,'' Mr Harrison Njoroge, Sun Africa Hotels Coast Regional General Manager said.

Njoroge said that they have partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) who oversee the highly ambitious Beach Management Programme (BMP) to help protect the turtle species.

''We have a dedicated team of KWS rangers who are involved in the day to day care and protection of the beach frontage. They are also involved in guiding our staff on matters conservation and come in handy when giving lectures on turtle and general beach conservation initiatives,'' Njoroge said.

In the hatcheries, there are 155 turtle eggs in the first hatchery awaiting to hatch on July 12th. Another 165 eggs with an expected hatching day of July 26th, 29019 is in the secondary hatchery while the third hatchery has 161 eggs expected to hatch on August 7th, 2019.

Once the eggs hatch, the turtle hatchlings are released into the open sea.

Mating season for turtles is between the months of March- October and the gestation period takes between 6-10 weeks.

KWS Marine ranger, Corporal Hussein Shee who is incharge of beach line patrols from Reef Hotel to Nyali has been instrumental in ensuring that turtles are not in the way of harm from both human activities and predators.

Marine conservationists contend that increased beach and shoreline activities have led to the destruction of turtle laying points. Developers near the beachlines who have installed floodlights, walls erected along the same stretch are known to scare aware turtles from laying eggs.

Apart from Nyali Sun Africa Beach Hotel, other tourist establishments in Mombasa County involved in turtle conservation include Mombasa Serena Beach Resort & Spa, Milele Beach and Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort, Convention Centre & Spa.