Centers opened to protect Leatherback turtles in Thai South

PHANG-NGA, THAILAND, December 27 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has opened its centers in the Thai South to monitor and protect rare and endangered Leatherback turtles and their breeding eggs. Chatuporn Burutpat, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, presided over a ceremony to open the two centers at the Khaolak Beach in Takua Pa area and at the coastal area in the Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park, both of which are in Phang-nga Province in the Thai South. Chatuporn told journalists that his department's new move followed last week's incident, in which a Leatherback turtle was found laying its 93 breeding eggs at the Khaolak Beach, while another set of 80-100 breeding eggs of the Leatherback turtles was seen at a beach inside the Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park, located about 30 kilometers far away from the Khaolak Beach. Meanwhile, measures launched by the two adhoc centers has included the building of bamboo fences to protect the breeding areas of the Leatherback turtles from disturbing animals or people who may want to steal the turtle eggs. Besides, additional properly-functioning close circuit televisions (CCTVs) have been installed at the two targeted coastal areas for their 24-hour service over the next two months to closely monitor breeding developments of the turtles, the updates of which have been live linked to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources' official website. The senior official said that teams of marine protection volunteers have also been assinged to alternately provide their patrol service at the two targeted areas, while exhibitions, public relations (PR) campaigns have been organized as well to provide people with proper information and to seek their cooperation on protecting the rare and endangered Leatherback turtles, also known in the science name as Dermochelys Coriacea. (TNA)