A leatherback sea turtle has returned to lay eggs again on the coast of Barangay Sta. Ana in Cagayan. Photo from DENR.
MANILA, Philippines — The leatherback sea turtle that laid eggs earlier in June has returned to lay eggs again on the coast of Barangay Sta. Ana in Cagayan, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Wednesday.
The DENR has asked the public to protect the turtle’s nesting site.
READ: DENR seeks public help in protecting nesting site of endangered turtle
According to Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, the DENR is studying the event to see if it can build a scientific research site in the area.
Photo from DENR
“When a female sea turtle is ready to lay eggs, she returns to the nesting beach where she was born, according to NOAA. This gives us more reason to pursue our goal to put up a marine scientific research station in the said town,” she added.
DENR Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan said they are expecting approximately 100 hatchlings in the nesting site.
Photo from DENR
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Authorities also set guards on the turtle’s nesting site, the DENR added.
The leatherback turtle is listed as “vulnerable” in the classification of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, indicating that it faces a “high risk of extinction in the wild.”