Discussed: 16 May 2024 at 10: 20
Marine biologists have released 11 newborn leatherback marine turtles into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Thailand’s resort island of Phuket, hoping they can survive in the wild and come back in two decades to breed.
Following an extreme protection effort to increase the leatherback’s life prospects after the discovery in 2018 that the endangered types had returned to lay eggs in southern Thailand, the launch of the year-old turtles, each about the size of a rugby game.
The stronger turtles have safely made their way into the sea, while others perished after hatching, but a program was launched to nurse the poor baby leatherbacks, according to Pinsak Suraswadi, director- standard of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
One-year-old leatherback turtles with a tiny satellite tag are getting ready to be released into the water in Phuket province on April 2, 2024. ( Photo: Reuters )
Thailand is just one of five nations that, in addition to Sri Lanka and Canada, has been able to nurse this baby turtle for the entire first year. A typical leatherback will lay eggs after 20 to 25 years.
They were released in April by conservationists, and they have satellite tags that show how far they have traveled as part of an international initiative spearheaded by Upwell Turtles, a non-profit organization.
According to Mr. Pinsak, “it’s necessary for us to study the travel routes of the baby turtles to understand where they are going so that we can take steps to protect the leatherback turtle while they are hatching from their nests.”
On April 7, 2024, a one-month-old baby leatherback turtles swim inside a pond at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre in Phuket province. ( Photo: Reuters )
The species is currently critically endangered in the Pacific region despite having an evolutionary history of more than 150 million years and surviving the dinosaur extinction.
The World Wildlife Fund ( WWF ) estimates that there are fewer than 2,300 adult female turtles in the Pacific.
After their release, the turtles still face dangers from fishing gear, eating plastic waste, and exposure to toxins.
A leatherback turtle carrying a tiny satellite tag is getting ready to be released into the water in Phuket province on April 2, 2024.
Hirun Kanghae, a senior fishery biologist, said,” I’m happy to know whether our effort to care for the leatherback sea turtles for a year turns out to be successful or not.”
If they survive, he said,” In the best way possible, it answers everything about the conservation and population restoration of the leatherback sea turtles.”
On April 2, 2024, a one-year-old leatherback turtle with a tiny satellite tag prepares to be released into the sea in Phuket province. ( Photo: Reuters )