Thailand sea turtle numbers soar as tourists keep away

A record number of baby leatherback sea turtles have hatched in Thailand after the coronavirus pandemic kept tourists away from the country's southern Phang Nga province, which is famous for its beaches.

The director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, told the Reuters news agency that since November they have found 11 nests, the highest number in the past 20 years.

In late March, staff at a Phang Nga national park found 84 hatchlings after monitoring eggs for two months.