The discovery was made in the very early hours of yesterday morning (Dec 23) when officials from the National Park and the Operations Centre of the 2nd Marine National Park were alerted to a female leatherback turtle retreating to the ocean.
On tracing the female turtle’s tracks officers were able to determine that she measured 210 centimetres in width, including her body and both flippers, with her shell alone measuring 110cm.
After surveying the nearby scene, the officers discovered a nest of baby turtle eggs buried close by in a hole that measured 65cm in depth and 37cm in width.
A total of 103 eggs were found, officials reported, with 73 of them deemed to be fertilsed, and 30 of them ‘hollow’. Each egg measured approximately 5.44cm, officials confirmed.
Officers moved the nest further up the beach from where the mother turtle laid them due to the original location being at the high tide mark.
A temporary enclosure was created near the tourist service centre to protect the eggs against threats from reptiles, officials stated.
A team from the National Park will keep constant watch to safeguard the health of the eggs which are expected to take between 55-60 days to hatch, meaning they would be due anytime between Feb 16-20 next year.
Yesterday’s discovery comes after confirmation of the first turtle nest found in the area for this egg-laying season on Dec 8, when officers in the same location revealed a total of 118 were eggs found, 84 were deemed to be fertile, 34 were hollow.
National Park officials stated they did not believe yesterday’s discovery was linked in anyway and that the mother turtles were completely separate.