Leatherback turtles hatch at Nai Yang Beach

At around 8pm last night Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew joined Sorasak Rananan, Head of Sirinat National Park, along with Sophon Kiamka, Phuket Provincial Public Relations Officer, Surin Yotharak, admin head of Sakhu Subdistrict and a team of veterinarians from the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center of the Andaman Sea.

The 32 successful hatchlings were from an initial total of 108 eggs that had been brought to at facility at Nai Yang Beach in Sirinat National Park from Mai Khao Beach on Dec 11 last year.

The eggs had been discovered by local resident Boonjerd Sae Tan who had seen the turtle tracks in the sand and then followed the turtle to its nest. On further inspection, wildlife officials from the Department of the Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) confirmed that the mother was a leatherback turtle measuring 110cm in width and 180 in length.

The officials managed to retireve 79 healthy eggs from the overall 108 laid, of which three were broken, leaving them with 76 overall, which were taken to Nai Yang and placed in a protected area of the beach surrounded by bamboo fencing in order to incubate.

Officals noticed yesterday afternoon that the sand around the sectioned off area had collapsed, meaning that the hatching process had begun. They then helped to dig the 32 hatchlings out of the sand and confirmed that the remainder had yet to hatch, adding that staff would monitor them in order to ensure as many as possible were able to hatch healthily.

Gov Narong stated that the occasion aligned well with Phuket’s aspirations to host the Specialised Expo 2028 in that the message behind the campaign is “Future of Life: Coexisting and Living in Harmony and Sharing Prosperity”.

He added that the return of turtles to the island to lay their eggs was proof that natural resources had managed to revitalise themseleves over the past few years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when the lifeblood of toruism was decimated, and that the future was postive.

Yesterday’s hatching followed several other instances in Phuket or in the surrounding area in recent months where trutle eggs had been laid or sucecssfully hatched.

On Jan 14 a total of 64 baby leatherback turtles hatched and made it across the sand to the sea at Bang Kwan Beach in Khok Kloi, Phang Nga, just north of Phuket.

This followed a Christmas Day (Dec 25) discovery by Marine wildlife officials of a new turtle nest on Naklua Beach in Phang Nga province, where the eggs were later relocated to a safer area to protect them.

Officials stated the start of the turtle nesting season effectively began on Nov 17 last year when over 100 eggs were discovered, once again at Bang Kwan Beach.