At about 9:15pm, DMCR officials went to inspect the nest on Bang Khwan Beach in Moo 7, Khok Kloi, Phang Nga. The inspection came after CCTV surveillance showed that the sand on top of the nest began to sink, indicating that the baby turtles were hatching below.
According to DMCR, the first baby turtle climbed out of the nest at about 11:50pm and 52 others soon followed.
“Officials examined all the 53 baby turtles and found that they were strong enough. So officials released all of them to the sea,” the report explained.
After excavating the nest to check for any remaining baby turtles yet to dig their way to the surface, officers found five more baby turtles which were deemed to be strong enough to be released.
A further 11 baby turtles were not strong enough to make it on their own and were taken into care.
Officers also found one dead turtle, 21 eggs that had not been fertilized and other 46 eggs that had not formed correctly.
Meanwhile, on Saturday (Jan 16), officers discovered two more turtle nests on Thung Dab beach, on Koh Phra Thong, Kuraburi, Phang Nga.
The nests were reported by local residents Thep and Phanya Khammayee. Officers arrived to find tracks on the beach, leading them to locate the nest, which is believed to have been laid by a green sea turtle. The tracks measured 98 centimeters wide, the officers noted.
Another nest was found on the same beach on Koh Phra Thong, believed to have been laid by an olive ridley sea turtle. The tracks leading to that nest measured 80cm wide, the officers also noted.
The DMCR officers built a fence around the nests to protect them from predators and installed a thermometer at each nest to monitor the temperature. Both nests are expected to hatch in about 45 days, the officers said.
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