One cannot look at an Olive Ridley turtle’s journey from the sea to a nesting site and the emergence of hatchlings from the eggs and not once think of the true strength that lies in the delicate.
Perilous journey
A documentary on marine turtle conservation made by the Visakhapatnam Division of AP Forest Department, titled ‘Saviours of the Sea –Tryst with the City of Destiny’, captures the journey of Olive Ridley turtles from the vast sea to the shore as they proceed for nesting their eggs. The fine balance of nature that allows the turtles to survive is depicted in the video conceptualised by the District Forest Officer and curator of the Indira Zoological Park, Anant Shankar.
A female turtle is seen flapping its flippers and making the perilous journey towards the shore, where it was born, at the RK Beach in Visakhapatnam. Had it not been for the intervention from the conservationists, the fate of the turtle and the more than 100 eggs it is about to lay is uncertain.
Thanks to the conservationists’ safe nesting centres, the turtle moves across the sand, find a safe and secluded spot, and digs a pit where it gently drops its eggs in clutches, one after the other. Next, it uses its flippers to close the pit with sand.
The fate of the eggs and the hatchlings that would come out of them after three months is also not any less dangerous than their mother’s tryst with the land. This is because they are a favourite delicacy of most canines and predatory birds that anticipate their arrival during this time of the year.
But for those hatchlings that are hatched on the shores between the R.K. Beach and Bheeminupatnam, their chances of survival are good as they are in the good hands of the conservationists.
Five sea turtle species
Of the seven species of sea turtles in the world, five species are reported to be found in Indian coastal waters. Leatherback (Dermochelys Coiracea); Loggerhead (Caretta caretta); Green turtle (Chelonia mydas); Hawk’s bill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) are the five species and all are included in the Schedule I of the Indian wildlife (Protection) Act (1972) and in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the Olive Ridley turtle as ‘vulnerable’.
“These turtles (Olive Ridley turtles) nest at river mouths in the vicinity of mangrove forests and isolated coastal strands during January, February and March. The increased use of nesting beaches for various developmental activities like the construction of jetties, sand mining and recreation poses a threat to the species.” PS RajasekharRetired professor
“These turtles (Olive Ridley turtles) nest at river mouths in the vicinity of mangrove forests and isolated coastal strands during January, February and March. The increased use of nesting beaches for various developmental activities like construction of jetties, sand mining and recreation poses a threat to the species,” says PS Rajasekhar, a retired professor of the Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, who has done extensive studies on the nesting habits of Olive Ridley turtles.
The nesting Olive Ridley turtles migrate from the Indian Ocean to the mass nesting (Arribada) beaches located in Odisha through the coastal waters of Andhra Pradesh during the winter months, November to February. Many of these turtles utilise the beaches of north Andhra coast for their sporadic nesting activity.
Declining population
“The breeding activity, of late, has shown a declining trend due to mortality at off shore waters and predation of eggs and hatchlings on nesting beaches. Besides, loss of nesting sites and foraging habitats nearer to mangrove habitats are the indirect threats,” says Prof. Rajasekhar.
The protection measures include ‘in situ’ protection, in which the entire nesting beach or a portion of the beach, where the nests are vulnerable to predation and erosion from high tides, are protected. Wire mesh cages or bamboo-made baskets are used for protection.
The ‘ex-situ’ protection measures involve the collection of eggs from nests and moving them to a protected hatchery until the eggs are hatched. It can also involve the removal of hatchlings from the nests after hatching from eggs and moving them to a safe habitat.
For Graphics
Sea turtle population is on rapid decline due to indiscriminate exploitation for their meat, eggs and loss of nesting habitats.
Female turtle can lay between 80 and 120 eggs every time they nest
Each female turtle nests two to three times every season.
Implementation of Turtle Excluder Device (TEDs) to prevent accidental trapping of turtles in the nets
Awareness campaigns organised in fishing villages on protection of nesting habitats.
The sea turtles traverse over a quarter of the globe, thus making their conservation an international concern
Five hatcheries set up between RK Beach and Bheemunipatnam
