ไทย
Phuket – February 15, 2024, Mr. Watchara Songsee-on, Chief of Sirinath National Park, revealed that on February 14, he was informed by a staff of Anantra Maikhao Phuket Villa, that traces of sea turtle were found at Mai Khao Beach, Moo 4, Mai Khao Subdistrict, within the area of Sirinath National Park. Mr. Watchara, therefore coordinated with the Phuket Marine National Park Research Center 2, to jointly inspect the traces of sea turtle egg laying.
Later, at 6:00 PM, officials from Sirinath National Park, together with officials from the Phuket Marine National Park Research Center 2, and officials from Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park, Phang Nga Province, promptly proceeded to inspect the mentioned egg laying.
Upon inspection, traces of a leatherback sea turtle were found with a carapace width of 110 cm and a total flipper span of 200 cm. The egg chamber was located at UTM coordinates 422052 903200, with a depth of 73 cm and a width of 32 cm. The approximate size of the eggs is around 5 cm.
From the assessment, it was found that the egg chamber location is above high-water mark, so there was no excavation, counting, or relocation. A protective enclosure was set up at the nesting site of the green sea turtle to care for and monitor it until the hatchlings emerge from the eggs and are released back into nature.
Moreover, the leatherback sea turtle eggs will take approximately 55-60 days to hatch, with the hatchlings expected to emerge from the eggs between April 9 – 14, 2024. However, for this nesting event of the leatherback sea turtle, it marks the first nest of the egg-laying season in Phuket province this year. Sirinath National Park has assigned park rangers to monitor the hatching process of the leatherback sea turtle continuously for 24 hours.
News and photos: Sirinath National Park