Leatherback turtle lays egg on Phuket’s Nai Thon Beach

PHUKET: A large leatherback sea turtle estimated to be about 25 years old laid more than 100 eggs on Nai Thon Beach, on Phuket’s northwest coast, early this morning (Jan 10). All eggs have been moved to a safe location in Sirinath National Park so officers can watch over them.

Prarop Plangngarn, Chief of the Phuket Marine National Park Operations Center 2, confirmed to The Phuket News that the turtle laid 111 eggs.

“In total, 92 of them were good, the other 19 were infertile,” Mr Prarop explained.

Mr Prarop was jubilant over the return of a turtle laying eggs on a Phuket beach. “See! They are coming back!” he said.

Itthiphol Rairat, a 60-year-old owner of a local restaurant and bungalow resort, told officers that he saw the turtle at about 5am when he turned up for work.

However, he did not report the turtle to national park officers until about 6am.

“By the time we got there the turtle had already finished laying its eggs and had returned to the sea,” Mr Prarop explained.

The eggs were moved to an area on Nai Yang Beach that is inside the national park so officers can keep close watch on them, Mr Prarop explained.

“We have to protect the eggs and keep a close watch over them. The area where the turtle laid the eggs is busy with tourists, anyone would be able to get to them.

“The eggs will take about 60 days to hatch. We will set up a fence around the new nest site today,” he added.

Credit: The Phuket News