Rare Sea Turtle Lays 101 Eggs on Hon Cau Island

A rare sea turtle (Vích), listed in Vietnam's Red Book and weighing over 90 kilograms, has come ashore on Hon Cau Island to lay 101 eggs, returning to the sea at dawn on September 12. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuc, Deputy Director of the Hon Cau Marine Protected Area Management Board, stated that during a patrol around the island in the early morning of September 12, staff members discovered a mother turtle crawling onto Ba Hon beach to find a nesting spot. The animal, weighing over 90 kg, dug a nest about half a meter deep in the sand before laying its eggs. Afterward, the mother turtle used its hind legs to cover the nest with sand before returning to the ocean. After the mother turtle left the beach, conservation staff excavated the nest and recorded 101 white eggs. All were relocated to an incubation area near the control station, placed in a simulated natural sand nest, and protected by a barrier. According to the Management Board, sea turtle eggs typically hatch after 45-60 days, depending on the temperature. Once the hatchlings emerge, conservation forces will monitor and assist them in returning to the sea. The Hon Cau Marine Protected Area, located in Lien Huong commune and approximately 110 km from Phan Thiet city, covers a total area of about 12,500 hectares, with Hon Cau Island itself spanning 140 hectares. This area is one of the primary locations where sea turtles frequently come to reproduce, mainly from May to October each year. Monitoring of sea turtle nesting has been conducted for many years at Hon Cau. In 2013, the protected area recorded its first sea turtle nest with 154 eggs. In 2017, 15 individuals came ashore, laying a total of 1,389 eggs. In 2024, six nesting events have been recorded. Source: VnExpress