This Amazing Drone Video Captures a Sea Turtle Laying Eggs

We need to fully understand leatherback turtles to protect them.

Transcript

00:00Leatherback turtles are one of the largest turtle species on the planet, but they are

00:08in trouble.

00:09According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, they are considered vulnerable,

00:13meaning the species is on the brink of extinction, which is why we need to learn as much as we

00:17can about them to help protect and conserve those that are left.

00:21And recently in Thailand, conservationists captured this infrared video of a leatherback

00:25laying her eggs on a beach before returning to the sea.

00:28Leatherback turtle eggs will incubate while buried on a beach for between 55 to 60 days.

00:33During that time, they are extremely vulnerable and need to be protected, which is why drones

00:37like these that monitor and identify leatherback nests are crucial to their protection.

00:41These majestic sea turtles are losing numbers due to habitat loss, poaching, and of course,

00:46ocean plastic.

00:47And as humans continue to build on coastlines all over the world, lights from our civilization

00:51are not only hindering mother turtles from laying eggs, but baby sea turtles have an

00:55innate tendency to head towards light, meaning instead of going to the ocean, they might

00:58head inland, putting their already delicate survival even more at risk.