Rare sea turtles hatch in central Vietnam
VOV.VN - A total of 30 endangered sea turtles hatched on a beach in Nhon Hai commune of Quy Nhon city in central Vietnam on July 8 under the close supervision of a group of local volunteers.
The hatchlings came out from a nest of 400 eggs which had been laid by a mother turtle on May 21. Of them, 30 baby turtles successfully tore their shells apart, while several strong baby turtles even went on to reach the sea by their own.
The remaining sea turtle eggs have not yet hatched.
On May 21, local inhabitants and marine conservationists spotted a green sea turtle or chelonia mydas nesting and laying 400 eggs on Quy Nhon beach.
Nguyen Ton Xuan Sang, a marine conservationist in the commune, said that the mother turtle returned to the sea after laying her eggs, marking the first mother turtle to have nested on the beach this year.
The turtle was estimated to weigh between 20 – 30 kilograms and is 0.8 metres long.
As its nest was at risk of being swept away by the waves, Sang and some local marine conservationists moved to relocate the nest to a safer place.
According to local residents, adult turtles usually come ashore to lay eggs anytime between May to the end of September each year.
Sea turtles are among the endangered species listed in the Red Book. As many sea turtles lay their eggs on Quy Nhon beach, local authorities have zoned part of the beach in order to make it a nesting place for turtles, and set up a volunteer group specifically aimed at protecting the endangered species.
