Green turtle returns to lay eggs on Racha Island

PHUKET, Sept 8 (TNA) – The first baby green turtle hatched on Phuket’s Racha Island early morning, almost two months after its mother laid eggs on the island. After green turtles had disappeared from the island for the past 14 year, the return of the green turtle brought excitement to people on the island and proved that their attempt to save the environment started to bear fruit. A hotel staff found the trace of the green turtle mother on July 24 and called for officials to check the site. Ninety four eggs were discovered in the hole but seven eggs had been broken. The rest of the eggs were relocated to safer areas as the beach, where they were found, were crowded with tourists. Officials, business operators and villagers have taken care of the area, waiting for them to hatch in about 45-60 days. Thanya Jit-Aree, Head of Engineering from the Racha Hotel said the first healthy baby turtle was born today and more are expected as sand around the hole has subsided. Officials from the Marine Endangered Species Unit will help in nurturing the baby turtles before releasing them into the wild, he added. (TNA)