Thailand is seeing a record number of the baby leatherback sea turtles hatching as popular tourist beaches in the country's south remain undisturbed amidst restrictions due to coronavirus.
Director of Phuket Marine Biological Center, Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, told Reuters over the phone that since November, they have found 11 nests, the highest number in 20 years.
In late March, staff at a national park in Phanga Nga province found 84 hatchlings after monitoring eggs for two months. The leatherback turtle lays its eggs in dark areas without movement, which were rare when tourists enjoyed the beaches.
People also take the eggs for consumption. "If we compare to the year before, we didn't have this much spawn because turtles have a high risk