Sea turtles are known to return to the exact same beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Others even take a whole year journey just to go back to the same patch of sand.
That’s why when a turtle came ashore in the Maldives beach, which is a popular nesting site, it appears to be confused after finding a newly built airport runway there instead.
The turtle, which is considered as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), still ended up laying her eggs in the middle of the 2,200m Maafaru runway.
What happened is an exact representation of the impacts of habitat loss among wildlife.
Luckily, local media reported that the turtle was in good health and was seen back into the sea by the locals.
According to then Maldives president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, the $60m airport was a donation to the country by the United Arab Emirates.
The Edition, a local news outlet, reported that a number of turtles continue to visit the island and the numbers have not fallen since the construction of the airstrip last year.
