On the 1st August 1966, the first turtle hatchery in Malaysia was established on Selingan, funded entirely by the Sabah state government. Selingan is the second largest which lie in the Sulu Sea about 40 kilometers north of Sandakan in Sabah, East Malaysia. On Selingan, there are chalets for overnight visitors and for those who wish to see the turtles laying eggs must stay overnight.

Maximum 40 visitors can stay overnight. The island contains the park's headquarters, a visitor centre, basic tourist facilities, accommodation and turtle hatchery. Park rules and regulations are strictly enforced and visitors are not allowed on beach from sunset to sunrise as not to disturb the turtles.

The eggs will be collected after laying and the transplantation of the freshly laid eggs into a man-made incubation chamber. The chamber will be in 60- 75 cm deep in the sand which is no different from the turtle digging. The hatchery is protected to make it impossible for natural predators to dig the nests open.

Visitors will get turtle hatchlings to release into the sea at night to further increase their chances of survival. An average of three to five eggs clutches are laid approximately twelve days between each nesting. Up to 50 turtles come ashore to lay eggs during the peak season on October.