Officials from the regional office of the Department of marine and coastal resources (DMCR) spotted a large leatherback mother-turtle while she was returning to the sea at Naklua beach in Phang Nga around 00.30am today (Dec 25), the DMCR reported on Facebook.
Having traced the tracks, officials then found the nest which was located some 700 metres north of the spot where eggs from the four previously discovered nests are now resting under 24-hour CCTV and personal control by the DMCR.
After checking the eggs in the newly found pit officials confirmed that 126 healthy eggs had been deposited. 22 more were considered ’inflated’. All the eggs were moved to the aforementioned designated safe area to mitigate any threat from predators or natural disasters.
The tracks on the sand measured about 220cm across, with the drag marks indicating that the sea turtle shell measured about 110cm wide. This is in line with the previous reports by the DMCR. All the visiting turtles this season have been of similar size so far.