A NATIONAL newspaper quoted a marine biologist as saying rare turtles had gone forever from Phuket . . . which made the appearance of a huge leatherback turtle on Mai Khao beach, just as the presses were rolling on Tuesday night, almost inevitable.
That makes three leatherbacks now laying eggs along the beaches of Phuket and ''Greater Phuket,'' once the destination for many to deposit their maternal loads.
The place where the Phuket leatherback chose to deposit her eggs was in front of the West Sands Resort, although the JW Marriott further south has a long record of supporting local hatch-and-release programs, and the Renaissance, still under construction, has a roof shaped like a turtle's carapace.
There is no natural justice, it seems, in the world of the leatherback.
But there is certainly joy, especially on Phuket, where it was widely believed that the leatherbacks, not seen since before the tsunami, had gone for good.
The giant mother leatherback, like the two before it this year in Phang Nga, will come ashore in a 10 or 12 day cycle five to seven times, laying about 100 eggs each time.
She first appeared at 9pm on Tuesday, bringing Mai Khao's band of turtle conservationists to the beach.
Unlike the turtles further north, her eggs were collected by the conservationists for fear that they could be washed away by a high tide.
Porn Anopan, one of the conservationists, said that before the tsunami in 2004, eggs had been gathered from 18 hatching sites and the hatchlings from 200 eggs had been released into the sea.
Since then, there had been no sightings of leatherbacks . . . until Tuesday night.
The appearance of the giant leatherback will give heart to locals and resorts attempting to breed and release all five species of turtles native to the Andaman coast.
''It's a real surprise,'' Khun Porn said. ''The turtles have mostly gone because of development along the beachfronts of Phuket. We hope leatherbacks continue to keep returning to Mai Khao.''
Leatherbacks, we've been told, only come back to lay eggs every 25 years, which makes the natural process on Phuket especially remarkable.
'Greater Phuket' Giant Shows How It's DoneThat makes three leatherbacks now laying eggs along the beaches of Phuket and ''Greater Phuket,'' once the destination for many to deposit their maternal loads.
The place where the Phuket leatherback chose to deposit her eggs was in front of the West Sands Resort, although the JW Marriott further south has a long record of supporting local hatch-and-release programs, and the Renaissance, still under construction, has a roof shaped like a turtle's carapace.
There is no natural justice, it seems, in the world of the leatherback.
But there is certainly joy, especially on Phuket, where it was widely believed that the leatherbacks, not seen since before the tsunami, had gone for good.
The giant mother leatherback, like the two before it this year in Phang Nga, will come ashore in a 10 or 12 day cycle five to seven times, laying about 100 eggs each time.
She first appeared at 9pm on Tuesday, bringing Mai Khao's band of turtle conservationists to the beach.
Unlike the turtles further north, her eggs were collected by the conservationists for fear that they could be washed away by a high tide.
Porn Anopan, one of the conservationists, said that before the tsunami in 2004, eggs had been gathered from 18 hatching sites and the hatchlings from 200 eggs had been released into the sea.
Since then, there had been no sightings of leatherbacks . . . until Tuesday night.
The appearance of the giant leatherback will give heart to locals and resorts attempting to breed and release all five species of turtles native to the Andaman coast.
''It's a real surprise,'' Khun Porn said. ''The turtles have mostly gone because of development along the beachfronts of Phuket. We hope leatherbacks continue to keep returning to Mai Khao.''
Leatherbacks, we've been told, only come back to lay eggs every 25 years, which makes the natural process on Phuket especially remarkable.
Photo Album Back for a spectacular encore came the Phuket region's star performer last night, and the giant leatherback turtle did not disappoint those who were fortunate enough to greet her.
'Greater Phuket' Giant Shows How It's Done
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