For the first time in Thailand, turtle eggs were laid by a leatherback sea turtle on Phang Nga beach outside the normal egg laying season. Officials have set up fences to protect the nest, while expecting this to be an indication of an increased abundance of the animal in the Andaman Sea.
The Chief of Phuket Marine National Park Operations Center 2, Prarop Plang-ngan, revealed a discovery of a turtle egg nest on Thai Mueang Beach in Phang Nga, after being notified by the local national park office.
Traces of a turtle were found by people during a beach cleaning campaign, leading to the discovery of a nest. The Khao Lampi–Hat Thai Mueang National Park Chief, Haritchai Rittichuay, notified Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2, then monitored the area.
The nest is thought to be that of a leatherback sea turtle and was found on the beach about 18 meters from the water, with eggs buried 80 centimeters deep in the sand. They will be monitoring the nest until the eggs hatch.
The discovery of a leatherback sea turtle’s nest at this time is unusual, as it is not the natural egg laying season. Officials suspect this may have occurred due to the increase in the jellyfish population in the Andaman Sea, which is a good food source for leatherback sea turtles. (NNT)
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