Honnavar Doing Its Bit to Nurture Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Hubbali: She is a different kind of mother. Each year, she lays eggs but never returns to see her newborns. This is the story of Olive Ridley sea turtles. The creatures have come a long way in evolution. Olive Ridleys lived even when dinosaurs roamed the earth. These evolution ambassadors are today fighting for survival on the fast-changing coastlines of India. In winter, the turtles dig pits along the shore and lay eggs. They then close the pits with sand, and return to the sea, clearing their footprints so that predators do not trace the nest. It takes 50 days for the eggs to hatch, after which they break out of the sand pit. The little ones crawl towards the sea. Marine biologists say rapid human development along the beaches has resulted in dwindling of the nesting sites. Seabed encroachments, cement walls to stop sea erosion, and excess lighting on the beaches are among the reasons the turtles are shying away from nesting. The government must ensure that coastal regulation zone rules are followed so that these international ocean migrants continue to lay eggs, biologists say. Odisha and parts of Tamil Nadu record large-scale nesting, but Karnataka boasts few sites. Honnavar Division Forest Department has identified eight sites where Olive Ridleys have been visiting annually since 1984. The Honnavar Forest Division has collected 79,000 Olive Ridley turtle eggs since that year. Of them, 36,000 were released into the sea. The survival rate has increased in the last few years. Vasantha Reddy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Honnavar Division, says, “When a turtle nest is discovered, mostly by fishermen, we barricade it so that dogs and other predators do not disturb it. We are trying to create awareness among fishermen and students about the importance of Olive Ridleys and their shrinking numbers.” The forest authorities involve school children during their turtle release programmes. “This season, we released about 1,000 newborns into the sea,” he said. Survey Coming Up Soon Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Dakshina Foundation will soon take up a survey of the nesting sites. “We are trying to assess the threats to the turtles. Once the study is completed, we will have a map of turtles nesting along the Karnataka coast, in places like Bhatkal, Honnavar, Karwar, Kumta and Ankola,” Deputy Conservator of Forests Vasantha Reddy told Express. The next batch of eggs is expected to hatch in a week or two. They Love Warm Water The turtle is a medium-sized species found in the warm waters of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans.   Source: TheNewIndianExpress