UDUPI: In a major conservation effort, olive ridley turtle hatchlings were released into the sea in Byndoor for the first time, this year.
Though olive ridley hatchlings were released into the sea in the neighboring Kundapur taluk, after protecting the eggs from dogs and other predators at their nesting sites in previous years, more than 300 hatchlings were released into the sea from the sandy shores of Byndoor last month.
As per data from forest officials, 121 hatchlings were released in Maravanthe and 199 of them in Alive Kodi-Tharapathi in Byndoor taluk. The hatchlings were released in March this year.
K Ganapathy, DCF of Kundapur, said the department has launched several initiatives to support turtle conservation along the 98-km beach stretch under the Kundapur division.
These efforts actively involve fishermen, NGOs, ReefWatch Marine Conservation-Kundapur, NSS volunteers, and locals.