#NSTviral: Sea turtle makes surprise visit behind woman's home

KUALA LUMPUR: A woman got an unexpected visitor when a sea turtle came ashore at night and made its way onto the sandy area behind her home.

In a Threads post by @nvdivsharheera, she shared several pictures showing the turtle just a few metres from her house.

"Our special guest. It came up right behind the house. See you again," she wrote.

The post caught the attention of social media users, garnering more than 335,000 views and 20,000 likes.

In response to questions, the woman said the turtle was believed to have come ashore at 8pm and spent several hours digging in the sand.

"There were no eggs. It took about three hours just to dig the hole. I did not feel like waiting.

"It came up after 8pm. I only waited until 10pm. It took too long and I did not feel like waiting any longer. I don't know whether it laid any eggs," she said.

A check of the comments showed several users advising her to report the sighting to the Fisheries Department and avoid disturbing the turtle should it return.

One user, @mermaidudu, said turtles could come ashore to assess whether an area was suitable for nesting, adding that digging did not necessarily mean eggs had been laid.

"Turtles may also create a 'false nest' to distract predators," she said.

She urged the woman to inform the Fisheries Department, saying the turtle could return to the same area to nest.

Another user, @qasseuurina_, gave similar advice, saying the turtle might return if it had not laid eggs.

Several users also reminded the public not to disturb nesting turtles with bright lights or camera flashes.

"If it comes ashore again, don't use a direct flash as they are sensitive to light. Keep the area dark if possible," wrote @erinaziz.

Another commenter, @nurulainni65, warned that white lights and camera flashes could affect turtles, including temporarily affecting their vision and causing stress.

User @fatinnmaisara also urged the woman to report the sighting and avoid making loud noises, shining white lights or standing in front of the turtle if it returned.

The woman's home is understood to be very close to the sea. She also claimed that some houses in the area had already been submerged due to changes in the coastline.

As of press time, the exact location of the incident and the turtle species could not be confirmed based on the post.