If you read the scripts of travellers who visited Sri Lanka centuries ago, it almost appears as if the wilderness of Sri Lanka skirted the coastline. The coastal population was sparse, and unlike today, much of the beaches were undisturbed by commercial buildings and concrete sprawl. This lent itself to an almost perfect habitat for turtles to nest and lay their eggs.
The rise of tourism and related commercial development led to the need for human intervention in the protection of turtles and paved the way for “turtle hatcheries” – protected enclosures to nurture the eggs and release the young back into the ocean to increase the probability of survival and support against threats of extinction.
Although stretches of beaches frequented by turtles are now fewer, Kosgoda became famous for its sea turtle conservation project, initiated by the Wild Life Protection Society of Sri Lanka in 1988. Since then it claims to have released around 3.5 million baby turtles back into the ocean. Although October to April is the main laying season, some eggs (mostly from Green Turtles) can be found in Kosgoda throughout the year.
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