Utmost care is being taken by the Forest Department in conserving the eggs of Olive Ridley turtles and this has helped increase the collection and preservation and also release of hatchlings into the Bay of Bengal in the coastal villages of the district.
The district accounts for a 50-km coastal belt and the Forest Department had set up three hatcheries at Vanagiri, Koolaiyar and Kottaigaimedu.
Each hatchery has been well protected and is covered by net all around including the ceiling, so that crows, dogs or cats cannot enter it.
The hatchery is located at a distance of 20 metres from the shore so that the eggs are kept under the same humidity and temperature of the site where the eggs were laid.
The Forest Department has registered a record collection of 12,631 eggs this season which are being preserved at these hatcheries.
Olive Ridley turtles lay the eggs and bury them up to a depth of two feet. Forest officials immediately shift the eggs from the shores to the hatchery where the eggs are buried, again, up to the same depth. “We also maintain the temperature of the hatchery and ensure that its environment is not excessively hot,” says V. Gopinath, Forest Range Officer, Sirkali, who has been ensuring the safe handling and conservation of eggs.
Each hatchery accounts for at least 20 to 25 pits and in front of each pit, details of the date of collection of eggs and the number of eggs buried in it have been displayed.
The eggs should be shifted from the shores to the hatchery within a few hours. A gel-like substance encompassing the eggs gives a protection from any damage or decay. “We ensure that the eggs are buried along with the gel,” he said.
Wildlife Warden S. Vidhya, said that the hatcheries have been set up under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity and Greening Project. Forest personnel have been adequately trained in handling the eggs and letting off the hatchlings in the sea.
