SINGAPORE: Around 100 hawksbill turtle eggs, which belonged to a female hawksbill that was spotted laying eggs at East Coast Park in August, have successfully hatched, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a Facebook post on Sunday (Nov 12).

NParks said the eggs were moved to a quieter location after they were laid, and then hatched at an unspecified location.



Some of the eggs were lost to natural predators, but the rest of the hatchlings were released into the water after their vital statistics - such as their weight and carapace length - were collected following "best practices for turtle management procedure".

"We also inspected each and every one of them for any deformities on their shell or body," NParks said.

The hatchlings were then released onto the beach where they crawled towards the water themselves. NParks said this was important as it allowed the turtles to orientate themselves through a process called "imprinting", so that they will be able to navigate back to the area when they have matured and are ready to lay their eggs in over 20 years.

Earlier this month, 46 turtle hatchlings emerged from a nest at one of Singapore's southern islands.



They were discovered after a volunteer saw a monitor lizard feeding on the turtle eggs. The rest of the eggs were safeguarded by authorities until they were ready to hatch.