It is that time of the year when little hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles are let into the sea along the coast of Puducherry. Beginning in November, nearly 7,000 little turtles have been released.
This year, the Forest Department has managed to collect nearly 11,500 eggs with the help of a team of volunteers from the fishing community. “It is the maximum number eggs that have been collected in the last 15 years,” says Kannadassin, a staff of the Forest Department.
Kannadassin and five of his colleagues including Jagadesan, Krishnasamy, Iyyannar, Kumar and Balasubramanian have been on this job for more than a decade now. Early November every year, they begin by contacting the fishermen in the coastal villages.
He says: “We faced a lot of difficulties while collecting eggs during the initial days. Miscreants would reach the beaches earlier than we arrived to take away the turtle eggs. They would eat or even sell them for liquor. We had to fight to protect these eggs.”
This six-member team reaches out to the fishing community in Narambai, Panithittu, Pudukuppam and Chinna Verrampattinam to create awareness among people about collecting and protecting the turtle eggs till they are hatched. Over the years, several volunteers from the fishing community joined the drive to collect eggs.
Mr.Kannadassin added: “After interacting with the fishermen and sharing our contact numbers, we begin to identify the spots where Olive Ridley turtles lay their eggs by tracing the marks that turtles leave in the sand.” “In the first year, we were able to collect up to 5,000 eggs and last year we collected up to 9,500 eggs,” he recalls.
Three teams
Every November, three two-member teams are formed to visit the villages in the wee hours. “When one team collects eggs along the coast from Gandhi Statue to Chinna Verrampattinam, the second takes charge of the coast from the Boat House in Chunnambar to Pudukuppam and the other from Pudukuppam to Narambai,” he said. Once the eggs are collected from these places, they are taken to the two hatcheries set up in Pudukuppam and the one in Narambai to be kept under supervision of the local volunteers. “The season for the turtles to lay eggs starts in November and the eggs begin to hatch 50 days from when it is laid. This season lasts till April, sometimes extending up to June,” he said.
