Thailand recorded the largest number of rare leatherback turtle nests in two decades. The nests were found on beaches where tourists gather, which are now empty due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdown.
Thailand has banned international flights which has tanked tourism. This, however, means the country’s famous beaches are free for wildlife to roam.
The director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, told the Guardian that 11 turtle nests were found by authorities since November 2019.
According to him, this was the most that had been found in about 20 years. Worthy to note too, Kittiwatanawong mentioned that nests like these have not been sighted for five years, until now.
‘This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans,’ said Kittiwatanawong to The Guardian. ‘If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach.’
Currently, leatherback sea turtles are considered to be endangered in Thailand.
Around 84 hatchlings were found in March, at a national park in the southern province of Phang Nga according to the Guardian. The staff had been monitoring eggs for two months.
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