Leatherback sea turtles, known in Thai as 'Tao Mafueng', are close to extinction in the Thai sea. Leatherback sea turtles swim seasonally to lay eggs at two sites. The first is Thai Muang Beach in Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Muang National Park in Phang Nga and the second is a stretch of beach in Sirinat National Park in Phuket. Monitoring between 2003-2013 at Thai Muang Beach found turtles laid 2,678 eggs there and 1,574, or 58.7% survived. There have been reports of villagers selling leatherback eggs for up to 150 baht each, according to information from the department.

Source: Bangkok Post December 03, 2017 23:38 UTC