Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery

Kosgoda Turtle Conservation and Research Centre

This hatchery started 1978 as the first Turtle Hatchery in Sri Lanka.Kosgoda is the one of the very few hatcheries where all the five species in the country make their nests.This hatchery has taken the onus to protect them, They start with keeping an eye on the nesting mother turtles, bringing their eggs to the secure environment of the hatchery and finally releasing the baby turtles into the sea on the day of their birth. However, if there are complications, they tend to them and release them only once they’re fit to go into the vast ocean. They are the Olive Ridleys, Leatherbacks, Green Turtles, Loggerheads and Hawksbills.

The volunteers patrol the beach at night to make sure that any mother turtles have proper conditions to lay eggs. They also carry the eggs back to the hatchery to make sure they hatch properly without any harm from predators and then release the baby sea turtles back into the ocean once properly hatched. They also take care of sea turtles with disabilities and treat the ones who have become weak due to fishing activities. Tourists will be guided throughout the process of protecting and proper hatching of the sea turtles while visiting the hatchery. One can also visit the hatchery in the evening when the baby turtles are released into the sea as the risk for predators is minimum at this time and get the opportunity to release their baby sea turtle into the sea.