1.71 lakh Olive Ridley hatchlings released into sea

CHENNAI: As the nesting season of Olive Ridley turtles in the State is nearing end, the forest department has released more than 1.71 lakh hatchlings into the sea during the ongoing season.

According to Supriya Sahu, department secretary, the department has 34 hatcheries in 8 districts. During the season, the department has collected more than 2.16 lakh eggs. Around 45,000 eggs are to hatch in a few days.

E Prasanth, Wildlife Warden, Chennai, said that the nesting season would usually start in December and end in April - May. "The eggs are collected by the forest department staff and volunteers. The collected eggs will be brought to the hatcheries for safekeeping. Eggs will take 45 days to hatch and once the eggs are hatched, they will be released," he added.

Chennai has 4 large hatcheries. During the present nesting season, the forest department identified as many as 487 nests and recovered 49,187 eggs. As on date, as many as 38,721 eggs hatched and they have been released.

R Sundararaju, former chief wildlife warden and former consultant of Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation Project (Phase-1), said that the number of nests has been increasing for several years due to the efforts taken by the government. "Earlier, measures to protect Olive Ridley Turtles were taken only in Chennai and Point Calimere. Over the years, conservation efforts have expanded to cover all the coastal areas," he said.

He added that nesting will further increase during the coming years as females will return to the same beach to nest. "However, nesting seems to be decreasing in Thiruchendur, Thoothukudi and nearby coasts due to their steep and narrow beaches," he said.