
Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand has found 11 nests of rareleatherback sea turtles on beaches empty of tourists due to the COVID-19outbreak, Reuters reported, citing local environmental researchers.
This is the largest number of such nests discovered in the pasttwo decades on Thai beaches.
Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, director of the PhuketMarine Biological Centre, was quoted as saying that thediscovery is a very good sign because many areas for spawning have beendestroyed by humans.
“If we compare to the year before, we didn’t havethis many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishinggear and humans disturbing the beach,” he said.
Leatherbacks are the world's largest sea turtles. They are consideredendangered in Thailand and listed as a vulnerable species globally by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature./.