Hurray for nature
AS many as 200 turtle eggs from three nests have hatched near the Banyan Tree Samui resort in Thailand’s Koh Samui, under the watchful eye of the hotel’s resident marine biologist Thepsuda Loyjiw.
Nearly two months ago, the nests were discovered on the beach in front of the resort. Since then, they have been under the protective custody of Loyjiw’s team and the local Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
“It was a delight to watch the baby turtles hatching, and then scurrying to the sea,” said Loyjiw.
“Ever since the mother turtle laid her eggs on our beach, we have been protecting them from predators such as birds and monitor lizards, and gauging the temperature of the nests to make sure the hatchlings would be given the highest chances of survival.”
Apparently, the mother turtle chose the right location for her nests because not only does the resort have a sustainability team headed by a marine biologist, it was also singled out last year by global watchdog EarthCheck as meeting the highest standards for environmentalism in the country.
When fully grown, green sea turtles generally weigh between 110kg and 180kg and measure about 1m in length. It is rare in Thailand for a giant green turtle (Chelonia mydas) to lay eggs so close to a tourist area. Most would seek out the more deserted bays in the Andaman Sea for their nests.
But since the onset of Covid-19, hotels in Koh Samui have been ordered to close, bringing activities on the popular tropical island to a standstill.
Recent news reports state that marine and wildlife have regenerated on many of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations since the Covid-19 crisis began. Nests of rare leatherback turtles have been discovered on Phuket, and an increasing number of dugongs have been spotted close to Thai shores.