Local (Phang Nga province) Festivals - Turtle releasing at Thai Muang beach
There is an annual 7 day event, usually during the first week of March, to release young turtle hatchlings, which have been raised by the Fisheries Dept., back into the sea at Thai Muang National Park beach.
One of the prime objectives of the Park is to offer protection to the visiting nesting turtles and increase the survival rate of the young.
Leatherback and Olive Ridley are the two main species of turtle which frequent the Park.
Turtle releasing festival at Thai Muang beach
They come ashore to lay their eggs on moonlit nights between November and April, at which time the beach is patrolled by Park rangers. For conservation and protection purposes, most of the eggs are removed by staff to a nursery. Incubation takes 60 days, after which time the youngsters are released naturally back into the Andaman Sea.
The particular releasing in March is designed to heighten people's awareness of the declining numbers of nesting females and promote conservation efforts.