Kasetsart marine expert sad over 120 infertile turtle eggs

On Saturday, Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of Kasetsart’s Fisheries Faculty, posted a picture of himself sitting beside 120 unhatched turtle eggs on Mai Khao Beach.

He said in the post that officials worked very hard to try to save leatherback turtles but Mother Nature did not cooperate with the efforts.

“None of the 120+ eggs of Mother February 14 were fertilised, so none of the turtle babies hatched,” Thon said in the post.

He explained that the turtle that laid more than 120 eggs in its nest on Mai Khao Beach was called “Mother February 14” after the date it laid the eggs.

He said temperature influenced the sexes of baby turtles being hatched in the sand nests. The higher the temperature, the fewer male turtle babies would hatch, he said.

Thon said global warming caused the population of male leatherback turtles to dwindle every year. The situation prevented many female turtles from mating, so their eggs became infertile.

The same situation has been troubling many beaches around the world, causing certain areas to have no new turtle babies hatched, Thon added.

He said the infertile eggs were proof that Mother February 14 did not meet any male turtle in the area.

Thon said in the post that he had to shed his tears, but he and other officials would not give up in their efforts to revive the population of leatherback turtles in Thailand.

On Sunday, Thon posted a photo of himself and a female staffer of Mai Khao Beach Turtle Foundation releasing a green turtle at the beach.

Thon said in the post that he set up the foundation at the Marriott’s Mai Khao Beach Hotel 15 years ago and the foundation has been saving turtles at the beach with cooperation from the hotel, donors and the Fisheries Department.

Thon said the foundation joined hands with Marriott and Anantara Mai Khao Hotel to release one-year-old turtles each year. The two hotels received donations from hotel guests for the foundation to raise turtle babies until they are one year old before they are released into the sea, Thon added.