17 rare albino sea turtles hatch on Vietnam’s Con Dao Island

The Con Dao National Park, located off Ho Chi Minh City, said the albino hatchlings, which have pale shells and pink translucent eyes, were successfully released into the sea after hatching on Hon Cau Islet.

Albinism in sea turtles is an extremely rare genetic condition, affecting only about one in 100,000 to 150,000 turtles, the park said.

While Con Dao rangers record three to four albino nests each year, most hatchlings have deformities or partially pigmented eyes, the park added. 

This is the first time rangers have observed healthy albino turtles with clear pink eyes and normal movement.

Park officials said the turtles face much lower survival chances than normal hatchlings due to their distinctive color, which makes them easier targets for predators, as well as threats from pollution, fishing, and habitat loss.

So far this year, Con Dao's conservation program has relocated nearly 1,800 turtle nests, successfully hatching about 1,500 of them and releasing more than 120,000 baby turtles into the ocean. 

Around 300 nests are expected to hatch by December.

The park estimates that about 600 mother turtles will nest on Con Dao's beaches this year, with an average hatching success rate of 87 percent. 

The nesting season runs from April to November, peaking between June and October. 

Most nesting turtles are olive ridley sea turtles (lepidochelys olivacea).