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Leatherback turtles lay about 1000 eggs each year, but\nof these only one tiny baby turtle is likely to survive into adulthood. The\nfemale turtles dig a hole in the sand and lay around 100 eggs in the hole,\nburying the eggs carefully afterwards. They do this about 9 times in different\nnests in one summer season. After about 70 days the tiny baby turtles hatch and\nstart to make their way to the sea, hopefully escaping the sea birds and other\npredators on their way. If you are lucky you can see some of these baby turtles\nhatching at Tonga Bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In spite of being such huge, fast swimmers,\nleatherback turtles are critically endangered. They do not have any natural\npredators, but their numbers are dropping drastically because of human\nirresponsibility. Many beaches have been ruined by buildings or mining, leaving\nfewer and fewer places available for turtles to build their nests. Many turtles\nare caught by accident in large fishing nets, and others choke because they\nhave eaten plastic packets, mistaking these for jelly fish. Some turtles have\nalso been injured or killed because of plastic straws in the ocean. Tonga Bay\nare very concerned about the natural environment, and therefore have a careful\nconservation policy, for example avoiding the use of straws and other\nenvironmentally damaging practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/07\/thonga-beach-turtle-1024x1024.jpg\")