Tortoise Farms

For millennia, sea turtles were part of the ecosystem of the reef zone of the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Annually, more than a million newly hatched babies have replenished the populations of five species of sea turtles living along the coast of Sri Lanka (Green Turtle, Loggerhead sea Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtles) from eggs laid off along the coast. As a result of rampant extermination by man, the number of turtles in recent decades has decreased to a critical level. Now turtles are protected by the state. There were enthusiasts who dedicated their lives to the protection of this species of marine animals. Thus, special centers (tortoise farms) were created, where people bring eggs, collected on the shore. Then after hatching the turtles are fed and released into the ocean in the 3-day-old age.
In the tortoise farms, you can see newly hatched little turtles. There are also adult turtles suffered from human activities or domestic animals that cannot independently exist in the natural environment. Such turtles are kept in special reservoirs and in case of full recovery they are released into the ocean.
These days tortoise farms in Sri Lanka are numerous. Most of them are on the south-west coast, in Kosgoda, Hikkaduwa, Koggale …
Large turtles in their natural environment can be seen near the reefs right off the coast in southern Sri Lanka.