Kastam, Night Patrol to Protect Turtles
The unchecked poaching of turtle eggs on Java’s southern coast, for making into jamu (herbal tonics) and stamina boosters, had become a concern for Kastam, 48, and other residents of Jogosimo village in Klirong district, Kebumen regency, Central Java. Unwilling to sit back and allow the protected marine animals to go extinct, Kastam joined hands with fellow villagers to protect the turtles, forming the Ronda turtle patrol as a key to saving the reptilian species.
"In the past, turtles that cane up on land and were caught were of course killed and the meat was shared," Kastam, the Lekang Turtle Captive Breeding coordinator of the Gajah Gunung Tourism Group (Pokdarwis), said on Sunday (23/6/2019).
The story took place decades ago when Kastam was still a child. Gradually, hunting turtles evolved into hunting turtle eggs, which are locally believed to increase stamina, improve intelligence and make good jamu (herbal tonics) for domesticated horses because of their high protein content.
"Many people hunt or buy turtle eggs for their children. They believe that their children will become smart if they eat turtle eggs," said Kastam, who is also the carik (village secretary).
Turtle egg sellers arrived to meet the high demand. The eggs were gathered along the coast, especially at the mouth of the Luk Ulo River near the Jogosimo Lagoon, a favorite nesting site for turtles. The eggs each sell for Rp 2,000-Rp 5,000, and are commonly traded in the village and the city of Kebumen.
Kastam knew that efforts to save turtles from extinction would face an uphill battle against turtle egg poachers and sellers. However, armed with the belief that what he was doing was right, Kastam persisted in his determination.
"If people don\'t care about sea turtles, then the turtles will become extinct. Well, if we don’t care for the turtles, who will?" he said.
As he had thought, Kastam and his group met local resistance in their drive to save the turtles. People said bad things about Kastam, who wanted to develop a captive breeding farm for turtles as part of the region’s coastal development program.
So that the villagers would understand the program, Kastam spoke with them at every hamlet and village meeting. "Slowly, we urged the people to care about the sustainability of turtles. This effort was relatively successful. Some former turtle egg hunters even joined the Pokdarwis to care for the turtles," he said.
Ronda turtle patrol
The Pokdarwis Gajah Gunung that Kastam founded now has 25 members. The group holds turtle education and awareness forums for the local community. Its members have coordinated with the villagers to conserve the turtles. They have gone to nearby villages in search for turtle eggs that residents had collected, and were even successful in getting them to give up the eggs.
"Sometimes the fishermen and residents of neighboring villages, such as Tegalretno and Tanggulangin, find turtle eggs and then give them or sell them to us," Kastam said.
Not satisfied with this, the Pokdarwis members also take turns patrolling the beach, especially from April to July during the turtles’ nesting season. The nightly Ronda turtle patrol involves 10 people who work in shifts from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. They guard the turtles as they come ashore and wait for them to finish laying and burying their eggs in the 15-hectare nesting grounds near the Jogosimo Lagoon.
The members of the Ronda night patrol are all unpaid volunteers and even use their own money to buy snacks while they are on shift. "We patrol [the beach] and guard the turtles with whatever equipment and supplies we have. We usually wear raincoats to protect us from the wind," said Kastam.
Female turtles first come ashore to look for a suitable location for their nest. The local people call this memeti. "If the turtles come ashore, they usually don\'t lay eggs straightaway, but search for the right location to lay their eggs and then return to the sea. Turtles usually like to lay their eggs near shrubs or grasses and bury their eggs at a depth of about 50 centimeters," said Kastam.
Moving the eggs to the nesting site protects them and the hatchlings from natural predators like monitor lizards and from poachers.
After laying their eggs, the turtles return to the sea. The Pokdarwis members then use a bucket to collect the eggs from the nests, each of which can hold from 90 to 100 eggs. They then move the eggs to the group’s designated nesting site and rebury them in the sand. The egg will hatch in 40 to 50 days. Moving the eggs to the nesting site protects them and the hatchlings from natural predators like monitor lizards and from poachers.
The group’s initial efforts to protect the eggs were not successful. At first, in 2017, Kastam tried to create an artificial nest, using a polystyrene box filled with sand. He buried 50 eggs in the artificial nest, but none hatched.
"Maybe the [sand] wasn’t deep enough and it didn’t get enough sunlight. Then, I tried burying [the eggs] in a dune, and succeeded," said Kastam, pointing to the spot on a on a sand dune where he buried the turtle eggs, enclosed in a bamboo fence.
That was in 2018. Out of the 80 turtle eggs that were moved to the nesting site, 72 tukik (hatchlings) emerged. The Pokdarwis released 56 tukik into the sea and raised 16 in special turtle enclosures that it had built with the support of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, through Kebumen regency’s Coastal Resilience Development Program.
The turtle captive breeding enclosure has become an edutourism destination, where tourists and children can watch the hatchlings swim in a 5-by-2.5 meter pool.
This year, the Ronda turtle patrol has collected 528 turtle eggs that will hatch around mid-July. Gajah Gunung Pokdarwis deputy chairman Fauzan expressed appreciation for the efforts of Kastam and his group, which had helped raise awareness in conserving and protecting turtles. Even so, Fauzan acknowledged that the turtle breeding program in south Kebumen was not managed professionally.
The government’s support and push is needed to develop this area.
The operational costs, especially for the tukik that consume up to 1 kilogram of fish daily, were still borne by the Pokdarwis members, and mostly by Kastam. In addition, the path leading to the turtle enclosure was still unpaved. "The government’s support and push is needed to develop this area," he said.
Pokdarwis member Muzaenal, 44, said he was glad he became involved in turtle conservation. "I like joining the turtle patrols, even though it\'s really cold. Along with the other residents, I walk around the lagoon and we communicate with each other using a handy talky [walkie-talkie]," he said.
A ray of hope has shined on turtle conservation along the southern coast of Kebumen. Under tight guard beneath the 15-meter-tall sand dunes are hundreds of turtle eggs ready to hatch. Kastam and the Pokdarwis Gajah Gunung diligently patrol the shore every night, accompanied only by the sea breeze and the splash of waves, far from the bright lights of the city.
Kastam
Born: Kebumen, 1970
Wife: Nurul Khotimah (37)
Children: M. Akrom (11), Munif Musadat (9), Sakinah (2 weeks)
Education:
- SMA PGRI Kebumen senior high school (Class of 1990)
- Madrasah tsanawiyah Negeri Klirong
- SD Negeri 3 Jogosimo
elementary school
Occupation:
- Secretary, Jogosimo village (2018-present)
- Coordinator, Lekang Turtle Captive Breeding program, Pokdarwis Gajah Gunung (2016-present)
- Chairman, Jogosimo Ongole Mixed Breed Cattle Husbandry (PO)
- Chairman, Jogosimo Arum Sari Farmers Group