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As Lockdown Keeps People Away, Rare Giant Turtles Are Coming To Empty Beaches

As Lockdown Keeps People Away, Rare Giant Turtles Are Coming To Empty Beaches

The leatherback turtle is vulnerable species and has been found at the beaches in Florida and Thailand.

There are empty beaches making a huge difference to animals as travel and tourism have been stopped all over the world. Many animals remain hidden from sight and quite skeptical of mass human gatherings. Many species slowly creeping back into our vicinities because of the lack of traffic and the human congregation. There’s being noticed in several beaches around the world, a particular creature that has been around much longer than humans. 

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According to The Guardian, the number of turtles that have been noticed hasn’t been this way for several decades. This returning of the leatherback turtles is closely linked to the empty beaches all around the world due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Loggerhead Marinelife Centre said that they discovered up to 76 nests over a nearly 10-mile stretch of sand in the first two weeks of the season right down at Juno beach, Florida. It is a significant increase when comparing to the last year’s season. Local environmentalists found the largest number of leatherback nests in two decades on beaches bereft of tourists in Thailand too.

Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, said of the 11 nests they found, “This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans. This was interesting as no such nests had been seen for the previous five years. If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach. Staff at the Loggerhead center in Juno Beach said leatherback numbers would be “coming in strong this year. The center’s research manager, Sarah Hirsch, told West Palm Beach News “it’s going to be a really good year for our leatherbacks”.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation commission, the outlet that even the manatees along the coast are doing really well. Loggerhead Marinelife Center said that they are still collecting data to see how much this pandemic will affect sea life. They made their inquiry well into the end of the season on October 31 and they were quite optimistic about it. Hirsch said, “We’re excited to see our turtles thrive in this environment. Our world has changed, but these turtles have been doing this for millions of years and it’s just reassuring and gives us hope that the world is still going on.”

The world’s largest sea turtles are the rare leatherback turtles. They are also considered endangered in Thailand. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed them as a vulnerable species globally. They lay their eggs after the mating season in dark and quiet areas. Most beaches around the world have become hotspots for mass human gatherings, so these are places which are typically bereft of tourists.

The director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong said: “This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans. No such nests had been found for the previous five years. If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach.”

sources used : shared.com

Related – World’s Largest Sea Turtle Emerges From The Sea And It Is Incredible


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