Endangered Sea Turtles Choose Six Senses Con Dao to Lay Eggs

July 27th, 2023 – Six Senses Con Dao has recently been chosen as the perfect location for endangered green sea turtle mothers to lay their eggs. These eggs are now in incubation at the resort’s “Lets Get Cracking” center.

Six Senses Con Dao’s private beach continues to be a preferred nesting ground for endangered green sea turtles. Despite their tendency to choose secluded beaches away from human activity, these majestic creatures have been laying their eggs at the resort beach in recent weeks, highlighting the pristine nature of the Resort’s beach and surrounding National Park protected environment.

Over the past month, several mother green sea turtles have chosen Six Senses Con Dao’s resort beach as their nesting site. On the 25th of June, one mother laid 116 eggs in front of Villa 307 at the resort beaches Southern end, followed by another mother on the 13th of July who laid 129 eggs right in front of By The Beach Restaurant and the main swimming pool and experiences center. Most recently, on the morning of the 22nd of July, another mother laid 100 eggs on the beach in front of Villa 111. These clutches of eggs are expected to hatch between late August and the end of September, hopefully resulting in over 300 baby green sea turtles making their way into the sea directly from the resort beach.

To ensure the protection and survival of these delicate eggs, Six Senses Con Dao operates the “Let’s Get Cracking” incubation center. This facility has witnessed an impressive 90% successful hatch rate for eggs laid both on the resort beach and throughout the Con Dao archipelago. Our hosts have achieved this level of success – around double the natural hatching rate – due to their careful observation and learnings to provide the perfect incubation conditions for green sea turtle eggs. Guests are invited to participate in the ethical release of baby sea turtles at the completion of their incubation period. Witnessing these incredible creatures first dash across the sandy beach into the waiting waves is often described as a life-long memory.

Currently, there are 986 eggs in incubation at the “Let’s Get Cracking” center including those laid at the resort’s beach and those laid on beaches across the Con Dao archipelago. Under a partnership with the local National Park Authority eggs are transferred to the resort’s care to maximize the chances of survival. In 2023 alone, 1,430 baby turtles have been released from the resort’s beach, contributing to a total of 20,860 turtles released since the inception of the program in 2018. The resort provides a real-time release tracker on their website, allowing visitors and conservation enthusiasts to stay updated on the progress and impact of their efforts. You can view the current incubation and release status for 2023 at Let’s Get Cracking Tracker. Typically, eggs will hatch between 50-60 days after they are laid.

Six Senses Con Dao’s resort beach has become a haven for mother green sea turtles seeking a safe place to lay their eggs and a safe incubation process achieving remarkable success rates. The resort’s unique location surrounded by land and marine National Parks and the resort’s sustainable design and construction continue to provide an incredible harmony between nature and the business operations. The success of the “Let’s Get Cracking” incubation center and continued successes in the conservation of the local green sea turtle populations continues to be a source of pride for our hosts and a remarkable experience for guests while having a positive impact on our environment for generations to come.

June sees Conservation Success Six Senses Con Dao's Let's Get Cracking Turtle Conservation Center

July 6th, 2023 – Six Senses Con Dao’s “Let’s Get Cracking” endangered Green Sea Turtle conservation program had a fantastic month in June with 8 clutches released at an outstanding 95.64% success rate.

Six Senses Con Dao deeply believes in preserving the harmony between man and nature, fostering a deep connection with the vibrant life that surrounds us. One of the ways this is upheld is through the “Let’s Get Cracking” turtle conservation center, dedicated to the preservation of the endangered majestic Green Sea Turtles.

This program has seen great success in the 5 years since its inception with 20,648 baby green sea turtles being released to date. June 2023 saw further success with 571 baby turtles embarking on their maiden voyage into the pristine ocean directly from the resort’s beach. Even more incredible, the successful hatching rate in June was a fantastic 95.64%. This is an incredible figure for sure as we aim to repeat or improve upon the successful hatching rates of 2021 and 2022 which saw rates around 90%. These figures are indeed fantastic, standing around double the naturally occurring rates. The success comes from our hosts carefully studying and monitoring incubation conditions throughout the day continually increasing the odds that every single egg survives.

Our hosts and guests alike were able to share in the magic of these precious moments as 8 separate clutches completed their incubation under the careful 24/7 supervision of our hosts. Two clutches even saw every single hatchling – all 71 on the 10th of June and 68 on the 21st of June – successfully make their way to the sea. These perfect moments of nature’s cycle were a testament to life’s resilience and a reward for our conservation endeavors.

Recently, two mother turtles chose the serene beachfront of Six Senses Con Dao to lay their clutches of precious eggs (numbering 116 and 129 eggs laid on the 25th of June and 13th of July respectively). These, along with 882 eggs collected by the National Park Authority are now under our team’s expert care in incubation and we’re hoping for more incredibly successful hatching successes in the coming months. You can view our real time turtle conservation tracker here where we update releases daily.

At Six Senses Con Dao, we encourage our guests to immerse themselves in our conservation efforts. Participation in these releases is a transformative experience many guests describe as a highlight of their stay. The sight of these vulnerable hatchlings making their first journey into the vast ocean is a poignant reminder of the delicate balance of life and our role in preserving it.

As we revel in these conservation successes, we are also eagerly looking forward to the continuing nesting season. The beaches of Con Dao will be a haven for laying turtles until November, promising a flurry of activity at our turtle conservation center until December, or perhaps even early January.

You can learn more about the Let’s Get Cracking turtle conservation center on our FAQs page or track our conservation efforts center in real time on our Tracker page here.

Let's Get Cracking at Six Senses Con Dao Releases First Green Sea Turtles of 2023

May 25th, 2023 – Six Senses Con Dao’s “Let’s Get Cracking” endangered Green Sea Turtle conservation program saw the first turtles released for the 2023 season on the 20th and 21st of May.

Did you know that Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species? It’s unfortunate that these gentle creatures are struggling to survive due to various human activities. Thankfully, there are organizations working hard to protect them, one of which is the Let’s Get Cracking Turtle Incubation center at Six Senses Con Dao. In 2022, the center released a record 6,929 Green Sea Turtles, and this year, it’s hoped we will see even better numbers. On the weekend of the 20th and 21st of May we saw the first turtles of 2023 released from the resort’s beach.

Since 1991, due to efforts of the Con Dao National Park Authority Con Dao has become the leading location for turtle conservation in Southeast Asia (as reported by Tuoi Tre newspaper – Vietnamese language), and the Let’s Get Cracking incubation center at Six Senses Con Dao is an innovative partnership that has helped to increase the effectiveness of these efforts. The center protects turtle eggs from numerous natural risks such as flooding, predators, and poachers. Further optimization of incubation conditions based on careful scientific observation and improvement successful hatching rates at the center have reached around 90%. This is around three times higher than what occurs naturally. In the last five years, Let’s Get Cracking has released more than 19,000 baby turtles. It’s no wonder that it’s fast becoming a tourist attraction for many guests at the resort.

Guests staying at Six Senses Con Dao are welcome to witness the release of turtles when they hatch. Imagine the incredible experience of seeing cute, baby turtles making their way across the beach and into the waters for the first time. This is indeed a remarkable moment, and guests lucky enough to witness it say it’s a life-long memory. It’s an opportunity to contribute to turtle conservation while enjoying a luxurious stay at this ocean front paradise.

Currently, two more clutches of 170 eggs are in incubation at the Let’s Get Cracking center. They were laid on the 14th and 15th of April, respectively, with an estimated hatch date in Mid-June. It’s expected that the turtle hatching season will continue from May to December. It’s fantastic to know that the Let’s Get Cracking center is actively working hard to help these creatures have a fighting chance.

Protecting Green Sea Turtles is essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Six Senses Con Dao’s “Let’s Get Cracking” Turtle Incubation Center is doing an excellent job in helping this endangered species by providing a safe spot for turtle eggs to hatch. The record-breaking number of turtles released last year and the predicted number this year shows the significant contributions this center is making. The best part is that guests can participate in turtle releases and add to this wonderful experience. If you’re lucky on your next trip you too can get involved!

“Let’s Get Cracking” Incubation Center at Six Senses Con Dao

Green Sea Turtles Lay First Eggs Of 2023

April 19th, 2023 – The first 114 endangered Green Sea Turtle eggs have arrived at Six Senses Con Dao.

Six Senses Con Dao is thrilled to announce the start of the new Green Sea Turtle conservation season, as 114 regular VVIP guests have recently checked into our ‘Let’s Get Cracking’ incubation center. This week marked the arrival of the first Green Sea Turtle eggs of the season at the resort. A total of 114 eggs were laid on March 18th and are now mindfully in incubation, with an estimated hatching period of approximately 60 days.

If you would like to learn more about our Green Sea Turtle conservation efforts or witness the season’s first hatchlings to the world, please feel free to contact our reservations team at your convenience.

Through a partnership with the Con Dao National Parks, Six Senses Con Dao is proud to participate in a program aimed at creating a safe and optimal incubation environment for endangered Green Sea Turtles. In the coming months, the resort will continue to host many more clutches of turtle eggs, with the goal of elevating recent conservation efforts to new heights in 2023.

Our recent conservation efforts have yielded impressive results, with hatch and successful release rates consistently hovering around 90% over the past two years. We are thrilled to have successfully released a record-breaking 6,929 turtles into the resort’s turquoise waters in 2022.

As part of Six Senses Con Dao’s broad sustainability mission, we are committed to incorporating sustainable practices across all areas of our operations. Some examples of our sustainability initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• An extensive on-site organic garden is implemented at the resort, with over 30 different types of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and herbs. A closed-loop system is maintained, in which organic food scraps are repurposed as valuable compost and used to enrich the garden’s nutrient-rich soil. Moreover, an on-site greywater treatment system has also been installed, enabling the treatment and reuse of greywater for landscape irrigation.

• An on-site FDA approved water treatment plant is used to produce all still and sparkling mineral drinking water, which is then contained in reusable glass bottles, thereby eliminating 10,000 plastic bottles every month from landfill.

• Recycled glass bottles have been used to re-tile resort pathways, swimming pools, and back-of-house areas. In 2021, over 300 wine bottles were repurposed to create long-lasting and beautiful Terrazzo flooring, effectively reducing glass waste.

Learn more about Six Senses Con Dao’s comprehensive sustainability programs at: www.sixsensescondao.com/sustainability/

Six Senses Con Dao Clean Surrounding Areas On World Wildlife Day

March 3, 2023 – On the occasion of World Wildlife Day Six Senses Con Dao staff took to the resort’s surrounding forests to clean up the beautiful house hike path rising 140m above sea level into the forests that surround our location. Our team collected trash and tidied the path and surrounds for our friendly wildlife neighbours including the endemic Con Dao long-tailed Macaque Monkeys and many other species.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in the Vedic tradition, meaning all the living things on mother earth are one family. Based on this belief creating a healthier and cleaner environment for our unique and lovely wildlife and fauna stands to benefit us all.

Six Senses Con Dao Celebrates World Wildlife Day With Record Breaking Conservation Efforts

March 3, 2023 – 6,929 baby turtles successfully hatched and released at a success rate rising to an incredible 90% in 2022.

World Wildlife Day falls on the 3rd of March in commemoration of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. At Six Senses Con Dao, this day is especially significant as it provides us a perfect chance to appreciate and celebrate the conservation journey that brings our guests, hosts and community so much excitement, purpose, and joy.

Among the many wonderful guests who choose to stay with us at Six Senses Con Dao one particular group of guests stands out! We feel blessed that our pristine island environment is one of the few inhabited places on earth that highly picky Green Sea Turtle mothers select to lay their eggs. On top of this, we are proud to have established the “Let’s Get Cracking” incubation center – our Green Sea Turtle hatching program conducted in partnership with the Con Dao National Park authorities.

Incredibly 2022 saw a record 6,929 baby turtles successfully hatched and released and our success rate rose to an incredible 90%. This brings the program’s total to 18,488 little sea turtles entering the Con Dao archipelago’s warm waters in the last 5 years.

Our team has increased the survival rate from between 60-80% in the early years through ongoing first-hand experience and learning. Some of the areas we have improved include the positioning of eggs, improvement of sand quality, naturally managing climate conditions, and enhanced vegetation providing shade and protection to incubating eggs.

We encourage our human guests to participate in the ethical hatchling release of our turtle guests – an experience frequently described as life-changing. In 2023 we are looking forward to meeting and farewelling a whole thousand more baby green sea turtles between April and October.

Alongside our conservation programs sits Six Senses Con Dao’s broad sustainability mission, touching many areas of our resort’s operations including but not limited to:

• Our extensive organic garden grows more than 30 types of plants including fruits, vegetables and herbs. Organic food scraps are turned into valuable compost which is given back to the garden in form of soil. We treat our greywater on-site and reuse it for irrigation in our landscape.

• We produce still and sparkling mineral drinking water on site with our reverse osmosis plan. This is bottled in reusable glass bottles on site, eliminating 10,000 plastic bottles every month from landfill.

• Resort pathways, swimming pools, and back of house areas have been retiled using our recycled glass bottle plant. In 2021, we turned more than 300 wine bottles into long-lasting and beautiful Terrazzo flooring while eliminating glass waste.

Read more on our full sustainability programs at: www.sixsensescondao.com/sustainability/

blog_categories: Conservation

Endangered Sea Turtles Choose Six Senses Con Dao to Lay Eggs

June sees Conservation Success Six Senses Con Dao's Let's Get Cracking Turtle Conservation Center

Let's Get Cracking at Six Senses Con Dao Releases First Green Sea Turtles of 2023

Green Sea Turtles Lay First Eggs Of 2023

Six Senses Con Dao Clean Surrounding Areas On World Wildlife Day

Six Senses Con Dao Celebrates World Wildlife Day With Record Breaking Conservation Efforts

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