Samed Resorts, owners of five resorts on the idyllic island of Koh Samet, is delighted to announce the launch of its ‘Adopt-a-Turtle’ initiative as part of growing efforts to promote the island’s natural beauty and wealth of native wildlife. Key players in the campaign are the five-star Paradee, on the secluded southern tip of the island and its sister resort Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa, on the island’s north western coast.
In February this year, a female green turtle laid 100 eggs in a nest on the beach at Paradee, of which half were taken to be raised by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources as part of a conservation programme. The remaining eggs were left in the mother’s nest at Paradee and a special protection zone was set up to allow the eggs to hatch under the watchful eye of the staff and guests of the resort. At the end of April, following extensive beach cleaning, the hatched Paradee turtles were released back into the wild.
Samed Resorts’ Adopt-a-Turtle campaign aims to raise funds for the conservation of green sea turtles in the Gulf of Thailand, supporting the work of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre in their turtle-breeding project on Koh Mun Nai, a short distance from Koh Samet at the heart of the National Park.
Guests at Paradee and Le Vimarn will be invited to ‘adopt’ a turtle by purchasing locally hand-crafted beanbag turtles or packs of six specially designed greetings cards, available to purchase at the resorts. In addition guests may contribute to the project through further donations and volunteering.
Samed Resorts hopes to encourage members of the community and other resorts on the island to work together on similar conservation projects including the planting of coral reefs; regular beach cleaning and recycling; the conservation of the population of Hornbills; and the protection of the natural beauty of this paradise island.
