Turtles Return Home

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Dozens of endangered sea turtles found injured last year were returned to their home off the coast of Jeju Island. Meanwhile, tiny baby turtles have been released along with their mothers. They are the first turtles to be born through artificial incubation. Next up, we will bring you some scenes from the turtles' return home.

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Surrounded by people, turtles slowly move forward. They are hwaksbill sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles and green sea turtles, all of which are endangered species. They were rescued from a nearby ocean last year. They are now on their way home after receiving medical and rehabilitation treatment. A procession of turtlets follows. They are the nation's first green sea turtlets that were born through indoor artificial hatching. 80 turtlets that grew to be 14 centimeters or longer were selected to be released to the ocean. Sea turtles move at a speed of 20 kilometers an hour in water. However, they walk 20 meters a minute on ground. Sea turtles mainly inhabit Ostional Beach and its surrounding areas in Costa Rica. In Korea, they are reported to live in the East Sea and off the coast of Jeju Island. However, the number of sea turtles has been rapidly dropping, as their habitats have been destroyed by coastal development projects. It is not easy to restore the species, since only one percent of hatched turtles can grow into mothers.

[Soundbite] Kim Min-seop(National Marine Biodiversity Institute) : "Sea turtles are a highly migratory creature that moves thousands of kilometers in the sea by oceanic currents. It remains uncertain how many of the returned turtles will survive."

Researchers plan to identify whether the turtles have successfully settled in the ocean by monitoring their migration route in real time through satellite tracking devices attached to the turtles' backs.