Historic return of leatherback sea turtle boosts marine hope on Phuket beach

In a remarkable event, a large leatherback sea turtle has chosen to lay its eggs on the shores of Karon Beach in Phuket. Local officials have since hurried to check the site and set up protective measures as the site is all set to become a maternity nest for the enormous creature. This is the first instance of a turtle laying eggs in this area in two decades.

Staff at Centara Grand Beach Resort in Kata informed Suthep Juelaong, the Director of the Upper Andaman Sea Coastal Resources Research Centre, of the turtle. Suthep said that the site was immediately examined following the report. Officials found a large Leatherback turtle weighing about 300 kilograms, shuffling from the sea to lay eggs. Long tracks of the turtle crawling on the sandy beach were also found, with the turtle still lingering around.

The research centre officials, together with the municipal authority of Karon town and many other sector officials, collaborated to create a protective enclosure around the area. This was carried out with two-fold objectives: To provide the turtle with a conducive environment for laying eggs, and to shield the area from being hit by the waves, reported KhaoSod.

Suthep further explained that while there were two to three pits found on the beach, only one was used for the turtle to lay its eggs. Once the concerned authorities were coordinated, a fence was erected around the protective enclosure. Plans are in place to relocate the eggs to the centre for hatching.

He went on to highlight that this was the first incident of a turtle nesting in the area in the last 20 years, making the moment incredibly significant. In the past, Leatherback turtles used to nest along Karon beach but such occurrences have been rare for a considerable time.

This exciting development underlines a sense of hope for the revival of the marine ecosystem and the leatherback turtles’ population.