Forest staff and NGOs join hands to conserve Olive Ridley eggs, hatchlings

The department has been taking up such initiatives in the past, too, after a spate of Olive Ridley deaths. The marine turtle species, weighing between 35 and 50 kg, reach the shore to lay eggs between December and April. 

“Forest officials patrol the seashores during this period and we collect eggs and put it in hatcheries for 45 to 60 days. Subsequently, the hatchlings will be let out to sea,” an official said. This ensures better survival chances for the hatchlings, he added. 

“We collected 9,625 and 15,429 eggs in 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively. Later, we let 8,646 and 13,966 hatchlings in the sea. However, breeding was largely affected in the past two years due to floods and cyclone Vardah,” the official said.

In the current year, a total of 44,850 eggs were collected and 15,988 hatchlings were let out to sea, said a Forester.

K Geethanjali, Wildlife Warden of Chennai, said, “Efforts are on to protect turtles. We are continuously creating awareness among the people living near the sea. The fishing community is actively involved. Further, we are using Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), which allows sea turtles to escape if caught in fishermen’s nets.” 

The officials added that they wanted to ensure that this was a sustained effort, and roped in NGOs in the field of conservation to ensure this. The department had first launched this exercise two years ago, Geethanjali said. She said the department would create awareness on saving eggs and hatchlings. Also, volunteers and department staff were cleaning up the beaches to ensure protection of nesting grounds, the officer added. 

The members from NGOs said they were undergoing training imparted by the Forest Department. “The department is very keen on protecting Olive Ridley turtles. We are also protecting eggs and hatchlings based on expert advice,” said Shravan Krishna, a volunteer of Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN).