At about 1.24pm on Mar 9, marine wildlife officials noticed that the sand on top of the 7th turtle nest in Phang Nga began to sink, indicating that the baby turtles below were hatching.
The staff closely monitored the situation until the first turtles started to come out at 9.44pm. By 11.30pm the natural process finished, so the wildlife experts gently removed the sand from the nest and helped the rest of the babies who could not get out on their own.
A total of 78 baby leatherback turtles went for their first swim in the sea that night. Three more babies were weak and needed to be taken care of in ICU before being released at an appropriate time. 13 baby leatherback turtles were found dead, while 23 eggs failed to develop.
The 7th leatherback turtle nest was found on Bang Khwan Beach on Jan 16. The mother-turtle laid 117 legs in total. They developed and hatched in a due time of 52 days.