Park officers at Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park were alerted of leatherback turtle traces on the sand at an undisclosed time on Saturday (Jan 6).
The information was then forwarded to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource (DMCR) to check the report and take measures to protect turtle eggs. 1am yesterday (Dec 27).
Officers estimated that the turtle, believed to have been a leatherback, had a shell only 52cm wide and a flipper span of about 148cm.
The officers soon found the nest containing 111 eggs. Sixty seven of the eggs had been fertilised, 53 were ‘hollow’ and one was broken.
As the nest was at risk of flooding by seawater, the officers moved the eggs to in front of the Leatherback Turtle Situation Surveillance and Monitoring Center at Tha Sai Beach, where they will be safe from the high tide and watched over by park officers and staff.
Officers expect the turtles to hatch in 55-60 days.