Although the global pandemic has meant no traveling to tropical beaches for humans, the animals in the very beaches we love to visit are prospering thanks to the lack of humans in their habitat.
According to the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, researchers are identifying the largest number of turtle nests in almost 20 years around the beaches of Thailand. All beaches in Thailand have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus.
The lack of tourists meant that even the world’s busiest beaches returned to what they are supposed to be – habitats for the local wildlife. According to the foundation, 11 turtle nests were found in the beaches of Phuket which is the highest count in two decades.
Phuket is one of the top tourist destinations even among the many attractions in Thailand. In 2019, some 9.3 million tourists visited Phuket. That made the emerald beaches of Phuket the busiest tourist attraction around the world per square mile.
With the lockdowns keeping people out, turtles have returned to the beaches. Furthermore, the Foundation has reported that the whole ecosystem has been benefiting from the lack of human visitors in the beaches.
From smaller species such as hermit crabs that are food sources for the animals to bigger mammals such as dolphins and dugongs, there are increased sightings of marine wildlife all over Phuket and Thailand.
Conservation activists believe that the lockdown measures have inadvertently provided nature to cure itself and repopulate the local fauna. Considering that strict measures only began in March, the rate of recovery is a pleasant surprise for those concerned.
Although it varies by each species, it generally takes around 2 months from birth before the hatchlings make their first journey into the ocean. The full scale of the recovery will become more evident towards the end of the year when the turtles will come back to the beaches to lay eggs of their own.
The stories of recoveries are not isolated in the beaches of Thailand. Researchers have been finding record numbers of turtle nests in the beaches of Florida as well. Just like in Thailand, the lack of people, vehicles and plastic are cited as the reasons for this much needed recovery.
What do you think about this story? Share with us your thoughts in comments below, and follow us on Facebook for more articles like this one.
Replaced!