“We’re going to the beach this evening,” Neera’s mother said, “to watch something unusual.”
“I’m not coming,” Neera replied shortly. “Going to the beach is so boring! We go to the beach so often when we are at home, in Mumbai. I am not interested in seeing the same sun and sand here in Chennai as well. I’d much rather stay here in the hotel, and play with my new video game.”
“This beach activity is unlike anything that you’ve ever seen before,” Neera’s mother said firmly. “You’ll get a chance to take part in a rare spectacle…”
Neera, unconvinced by her mother’s words, started arguing, but it was of no use. Her mother’s grim expression brooked no further discussion. So, late that evening, a grumpy Neera accompanied her parents to Elliot’s Beach at Besant Nagar.
As they walked onto the beach, they saw a small group of people peering into several baskets placed on the sand.
“What are they looking at?” Neera asked curiously.
“Why don’t you go and see?” her mother urged.
Turtle talk
Neera walked towards one of the baskets, and peeped into it tentatively. There were dozens of tiny black turtles in it, squirming furiously.
“Oh gosh!” Neera exclaimed in astonishment. “I’ve never seen so many baby turtles before! But what are they doing here? Why are they in these baskets?”
“They are baby Olive Ridley turtles,” explained Neera’s mother. They are in these baskets because they are going to be released into the sea by volunteers from the sea turtle conservation group. And we are going to watch…”
“But I don’t understand. How did the volunteers get so many baby turtles in the first place?” Neera asked. Her interest had been well and truly caught.
“Every year, hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles come to the beach in Chennai to lay their eggs. This process dates back to before the time of dinosaurs. The turtles dig holes in the sand, and lay their eggs in them,” Neera’s mother went on. “One Olive Ridley nest can have more than 100 eggs in it. But, unfortunately, our modern beaches are so polluted and dirty that turtles find it hard to locate clean, safe spots to lay their eggs. So, when the nesting season begins in December, volunteers clean up the beach to help the turtles.”
“So, all these tiny turtles have hatched from the eggs laid on the beach?” Neera asked.
“Once they lay their eggs, the mother turtles go back into the sea. But unfortunately, the eggs aren’t safe on the beach. They can be eaten by stray dogs, or stolen by poachers. So, volunteers come and hunt for turtle nests. They collect all the eggs, and take them away to hatcheries. There, the eggs are incubated till they hatch. And now, they are ready to go back to their home in the sea.”
One of the volunteers, standing nearby added, “Since time immemorial, hatchlings have found their way to the sea under moonlight. But nowadays, there are so many bright electric lights on the beach that the little reptiles get confused, and start crawling in the wrong direction, leading them to death. So that’s why we are here today — to guide them into the sea…”
“I want to be a part of this too,” Neera exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.
A few minutes later, the volunteers brought the baskets close to the water’s edge, and tilted them. In seconds, the beach was filled with tiny turtles scurrying around frantically. Most of them headed towards the water instinctively, but some of them turned around, and headed back up the beach.
As volunteers moved to gently head them back in the right direction, Neera ran alongside them.
“These baby turtles are so tiny,” she said, “Will they be able to survive by themselves in the vast sea?”
“Some of them will,” one of the volunteers said. “And do you know that a female Olive Ridley always makes her nest in the place where she was born? So, some of these little ones will come back here as adult turtles, after a decade.”
“Wow! And how do they know on which beach they were born, and where to come back to?” Neera asked incredulously.
“That’s one of nature’s mysterious secrets,” said the volunteer smiling.
Neera sighed. “I thought the beach was just miles of sun, sand, waves, and shells,” she said. “But now I know that magic happens on the beach too…”
