Officials manning the nest took a first batch of 20 baby turtles into a sterilised bowl and waited until they gained sufficient strength before releasing them into the sea. Sadly, one of the remaining nine died, but the officials released later released the third batch of eight babies into the sea. This meant that 48 newborn turtles from the nest had been successfully released into the sea, Kongkiart said. The officials later checked the nest and found eight more dead babies and a further 27 eggs that had not hatched, he added. About 80 per cent of the surviving baby turtles were female, coming close to the natural ratio in which three-quarters of leatherback turtles are generally female, the director explained.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 12, 2019 08:37 UTC