On a chilly December morning in 2002, T.A Pugalarasan was walking on the beach in his fishing village Periya Neelankarai when he spotted a stranded sea turtle. He instinctively decided to save the turtle and swam 200 metres beyond the waves to release it back in the ocean. "I had seen several dead sea turtles on the shore. But that was the first time I helped a stranded turtle," says Pugalarasan.
Like many youngsters in his village, Pugalarasan was initially indifferent to marine life and its conservation. There was even a time when he and his friends used to play with turtle eggs. Life took a different turn for him when he met conservationist Dr. Supraja Dharini, founder of the Tree Foundation.
"My entire perspective about the ocean and its life forms changed after I met Dr. Supraja. When I was younger, I did not know about sea turtles. So I would dig out their eggs and use them as balls to play cricket. They have a very soft shell, unlike other eggs, and so bounce off the ground. I still remember when I met her for the first time, I asked several questions like why we should put turtles back into the sea and why they should be protected," adds Pugalarasan.
After interacting with Dr. Supraja, Pugalarasan realised that protecting sea turtles is like protecting the wealth of the ocean. Today Pugal is part of the Sea Turtle Protection Force (STPF) which comprises over 165 fishermen living along the Coromandel Coast. STPF is an initiative started by the Tree Foundation under the aegis of Dr. Supraja.
Over the years, Pugal and his STPF member have created a sea change in the attitudes of the local community towards the turtles. "We conduct many awareness programmes on endangered marine species in fishing villages, schools and colleges using dance, drama and documentaries," says Pugal.
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"In some fishing communities, the fishermen eat sea turtles. We have built a strong network of informers to save the turtles. We work jointly with the Marine Police, Fisheries Department staff and the Forest Guard," he says. There was an instance when two turtles were going to be killed for a wedding dinner. On receiving an alert, Pugalarasan along with the Marine Police conducted a rescue operation and saved the turtles. Later they were released into the ocean.
But today things have changed and thanks to the strong network, whenever a turtle, dolphin or whale is stranded, fishermen inform Pugal or the Tree Foundation office. "Whenever I get a call from the fishermen about a stranded turtle or dolphin, I immediately drive to the place in our ambulance with the stranding kit. I give first aid to the injured turtle and bring it to the rescue and rehabilitation centre," adds Pugal.
Once the turtle is brought to the centre, it is inspected and the treatment is started. Pugalarasan himself has helped in the rehabilitation of more than 40 turtles.
"I have seen Pugal when he was in his early 20s. Since then he has been part of Tree Foundation's ‘Save the turtles’ mission. He has also helped Tree Foundation expand its conservation to other states. Apart from the turtle conservation initiatives, he along with his STPF members carry out several clean-up programmes along the beaches to make people understand the problems of pollution," says Dr. Supraja.
Pugalarasan received the prestigious Ocean award from the Boat International in 2017 for pursuing sustainable ways of fishing, protecting sea turtles and educating people about endangered marine species.
He hopes to have a small research vessel someday to study endangered marine life. "I want to share everything I learn about the ocean and marine life. I want people to understand that we must take care of the ocean and its rich marine life. People should also refrain from polluting the ocean with plastic, chemical waste and other trash," adds Pugalarasan.