Thailand has record sea turtle hatches with no tourists

Thailand has record sea turtle hatches with no tourists

Thailand is seeing a record number of sea turtle hatches this year as the country's tourist numbers dwindle, leaving usually bustling beaches nearly empty and undisturbed.

Gloria Tso reports.

A baby sea turtle plods through the sand before incoming waves pull it out to sea.

It's a scene happening in record numbers in Thailand right now as rare leatherback turtles hatch and wade their way into the water undisturbed.

Tourists are hard to find in the country's usually popular beaches.

It's an opportunity for mother leatherbacks, the world's largest variety of sea turtle, who are endangered in Thailand.

They lay their eggs in dark areas without movement, which were hard to find back when tourists flooded the shore.

Some of those visitors even steal the eggs to eat.

But tourist numbers were down by half in February, and with people thinned out, the leatherback turtles are able to come ashore and safely lay their eggs.

The director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center told Reuters that no nests had been found in Phuket in the past five years.

He says baby turtles there are at high risk of being killed by humans or fishing gear.

But this year, they have found 11 nests -- the largest number in two decades.