Annual Andaman Sea turtle release to go ahead

21 Mar 2011

The annual release of sea turtles into the Andaman Sea has been scheduled for Friday 1 April. The event will take place at the beach fronting Phuket’s Laguna Banyan Tree Resort on the west-facing side of the island.

The event has been jointly organised by the Banyan Tree’s management and the Phuket Marine Biological Centre and is a part of their ongoing efforts to save the endangered sea turtles from extinction. Families are cordially invited to participate in this unique opportunity of liberating youthful sea turtles on their lifetime ocean odysseys.

Family tickets for the reptile release have been priced at 3,000 Baht for two adults with accompanying children under 14 years old. The admission fee includes one turtle release and the price of refreshments.

The tickets cannot be purchased at the resort on the day and need to be bought in advance at www.lagunaphuket.com/CSR/turtlerelease, or any Phuket outlet of Woody’s Sandwich Shoppe, before 29 March. All funds raised by the turtle release go directly to the marine centre.

Green sea turtles, or to give them their scientific name Chelonia Mydas, live for between 60 and 80 years, barring any mishaps. The males of the species, once they have hatched and entered the sea, never return to shore again and roam the oceans freely.

The females return to beaches along the Andaman Sea coast between Phang Nga and Krabi to nest. In recent times, the traditional turtle nesting grounds have been encroached on and this has contributed to a decline in their numbers.

Tags: Andaman turtle release