Rare leatherback turtle spotted in Indonesia

Khairul Amra, a member of a local conservation group, said on Thursday that the giant turtle was spotted on a beach on Sumatra island over the weekend just before it plunged into the wate

In this June 27, 2000, file photo, a leatherback turtle is seen in Manzanilla, Trinidad and Tobago. Conservationists said on Thursday, they got a rare glimpse of a six-foot (two-meter) long leatherback, the world's most endangered sea turtle, together with dozens of eggs in western Indonesia. Photo: AP.

Conservationists say they got a rare glimpse of a six—foot (two—meter) —long leatherback - the world’s most endangered sea turtle - together with dozens of eggs in western Indonesia.

Khairul Amra, a member of a local conservation group, said on Thursday that the giant turtle was spotted on a beach on Sumatra island over the weekend just before it plunged into the water.

Soon after 65 eggs thought to belong to the leatherback were found in a nest - the third such discovery on the same beach this year.

Leatherbacks, which can grow up to nine feet (three meters) long, have roamed the oceans for 100 million years, but the globe—trotting sea turtles today number only around 30,000.

Their biggest threats are commercial fishing and egg hunters.