On Saturday morning, a group of people gathered at the Neelankarai beach to bid farewell to two Olive Ridley turtles– Paras and May– and hoped for their good health and safe travels.
Both the turtles were rescued and rehabilitated by the Tree Foundation in Chennai. The juvenile Olive Ridley, Paras, was found in March 2020, stranded along the Vettuvankeni beach in a dehydrated condition with her front flipper chopped off. May, named after the month she was found in, had a head injury and was stranded in 2020 along the Injambakkam beach.
“The two turtles were brought to our rescue and rehabilitation centre and were given special medical care and nutritional support. They have recovered well and we wanted them to get a second chance to go back to the environment they know so well,” said Supraja Dharini, Founder, Tree Foundation.
After they were rescued, at the Tree Foundation premises, the turtles were placed in seawater rehabilitation tanks that were manually cleaned every day. Their diet included fish, squids, shrimps and crabs. The turtles were given medical support utilising X-Ray and other facilities at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) in consultation with Dr. Jayaprakash, Retired Director of Clinics. They were certified fit by veterinarians before the decision to release them into the sea was taken.
On Saturday Morning, the turtles were the cynosure of all eyes as children, volunteers and members of the public, who had gathered to see them in their tanks before their release. At around 10.30 a.m., the turtles were taken to the Neelankarai beach. A team of volunteers from the Tree Foundation and some fishermen took them three km into the sea and released them.
The Tree Foundation has been working with fishermen in raising awareness about Olive Ridley turtles, encouraging them to release turtles they find entangled in ghost nets. Certificates applauding their efforts were given away to fishermen, recognising them for rescuing and releasing turtles back into the sea.
“The State Government and the local communities have an important responsibility to protect and conserve the environment. It is heartening to know that these fishermen have been doing their bit to protect Olive Ridleys,” said Supriya Sahu, Secretary, Environment and Forests.
₹849.21 crore allocated
Speaking about the green component of the Tamil Nadu Budget, Ms. Supriya said ₹849.21 crore had been allocated to the Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department and that the government was committed in its efforts towards conservation and rehabilitation.
“We will work towards bringing a special focus on Olive Ridley Turtle Conservation programmes. In all coastal districts, the local wildlife wardens are already working with fishing communities and NGOs to set up hatcheries, and we have protected turtle nests,” she added.
Shekhar Kumar Niraj, PCCF, Biodiversity Conservation and Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board, laid stress on the importance of creating awareness about conservation activities.
