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Off the shore of Phuket, Thai scientists waved goodbye from boats at sea as nearly a dozen leatherback baby turtles were released into the vast blue Indian Ocean, each equipped with a tiny satellite tag on its back.Their release marked a milestone for Thailand, making it one of only five countries in the world that have successfully reared newly-hatched leatherback turtles in captivity for over a year.The leatherback—a near-extinct animal named for the unique leathery skin on its back that is often adorned with black and white spots—is one of the seven sea turtle species found around the world.Sea turtles play a vital role in balancing an ecosystem as they consume large numbers of jellyfish which help to keep populations of these marine organisms in check.As the largest turtles on earth, leatherbacks are capable of growing up to 210 centimetres (6.8 feet) in length and weighing around 900 kilograms (1,984 pounds), making them also one of the largest living reptiles in the world.Despite having an evolutionary history of more than 150 million years and surviving the extinction of the dinosaurs, the species is now critically endangered in the Pacific region.Recent estimates by the World Wildlife Fund suggest fewer than 2,300 adult females remain in the Pacific.According to Dr. Pinsak Suraswadi, Director General at Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), the once-common sight of leatherbacks nesting on its shores mysteriously disappeared in 2013, leading conservationists to launch intensive measures in an attempt to bring them back.Joint efforts by the public and private sectors to protect these giant turtles saw them make an unprecedented comeback in 2018, when the leatherbacks returned for the first time in five years to nest and lay eggs in Phang Nga and Phuket.At the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), dozens of baby turtles only a month old paddled and swam in a specially-designed 42-ton cement pond, where both the water quality and temperature are meticulously controlled.When released, each turtle will carry with it a satellite tracking device for data collection, a project that is part of an international tagging initiative led by the U.S. non-profit organisation Upwell Turtles to study geographical areas frequented by baby sea turtles.“We think it&#x27;s necessary for us to study the travel routes of the baby turtles to understand where they are going so that we can implement measures to protect the leatherback turtle,” Pinsak said.Rescued as hatchlings, these leatherback turtles are being reared in captivity before they are released to maximise their chances of survival in the wild.“What we intend to do is we help the baby sea turtles at the bottom of the nest, that have a million percent chance of dying - not just 100 percent - to survive,” said Hirun Kanghae, senior fishery biologist with Thailand’s marine department.But when they first started, none of the leatherbacks they rescued stayed alive for long.Hirun worked with his team to address the dismal rate of success by installing a net over the nursing pond to prevent harmful objects from falling into the water as well as a high-quality seawater purifier to simulate open ocean conditions.The pool corners were also protected to stop the young leatherbacks from colliding into the sides of the pool, preventing injuries.A special jelly diet that suited the turtle&#x27;s digestive system was also created and is currently being patented.Altogether, the measures upped the young leatherbacks’ survival rate in captivity from zero to 28 percent.Hirun hopes to raise this to 50 percent in time.“Isn&#x27;t this better than letting them die in their nests?” he asked.But with fewer than 10 female leatherback turtles left in Thailand, Hirun is concerned the species could soon face extinction.Leatherback sea turtles lay eggs in the tropical and subtropical zones, but they spend their lives in the open sea, travelling as far north as Norway or as far south as New Zealand, and diving to depths of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).As a result, Hirun says these turtles face significant risks, including entanglement in fishing gear, ingestion of plastic waste, and exposure to toxins. Moreover, coastal erosion and development are altering their nesting sites, posing additional threats to their survival.And then there&#x27;s global warming, the next major challenge to the survival rate of this reptile.&quot;When the (nest) temperature exceeds 31 degrees Celsius, it causes all the hatchlings to become female,&quot; said Hirun. &quot;When all hatchlings are female, it leads to extinction.&quot;A leatherback sea turtle typically requires 15 to 25 years to reach maturity. Mature females often return to their natal beach to nest, while adult male turtles spend much of their lives at sea.Typically, an adult female can lay up to 10 clutches per nesting season, with each clutch numbering some 80 to 115 fertilised eggs. But not all hatchlings survive to adulthood in the wild.In fact, only one to two baby sea turtles will reach maturity at a “scant 0.1 to 0.2 percent” survival rate.As he watched the released leatherback turtles spread their fins and wade away, Hirun can only hope that they will survive to adulthood in the wild and return to Thai waters to breed.“If so, it answers everything about the conservation and population restoration of the leatherback turtles in the best way possible,” Hirun added. - Report from Reuters

Thai scientists release nearly a dozen leatherback baby turtles into the vast blue Indian Ocean, each equipped with a tiny satellite tag on its back.

Thai scientists release nearly a dozen leatherback baby turtles into the vast blue Indian Ocean, each equipped with a tiny satellite tag on its back.

Thailand releases hand-raised leatherback turtles

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Thailand releases hand-raised leatherback turtles

Reuters

Published May 16, 2024 10:00 PM PHT

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