The Royal Thai Navy’s Sea Turtle Conservation Center collected more than 100 eggs laid by an endangered green turtle on a Bang Saray beach.
Lt. Manomai Tummanee led a team of officers to dig up 116 eggs buried April 5 in the sand outside the Naval Recruit Training Center.
Conservationists watched from afar as the 200-kilogram turtle laid the eggs, covered them with sand and then compacted the sand with her chest before swimming back out to sea.
Manomai said it was unusual for the turtle to lay eggs at the navy-controlled beach, as the reptiles almost always will return to their birthplace to nest. However, this turtle might not have been able to make it back to its place of origin.
Turtles normally bury eggs at least 10 meters above the high-water line on the beach and then return to the same place a week or two later to lay more. A fertile green turtle may lay eggs as many as five times in a cycle, he said.
These eggs, however, are not safe where they were deposited, so all 116 eggs were brought to the turtle conservation center where they will be hatched.
Meanwhile, a watch will be kept on the beach in the coming weeks for the mother’s return.
