CHENNAI: Somewhere in heaven, there's a section reserved especially for sea turtles. Or so, the members of the Sea Turtle Protection Force of TREE Foundation like to believe. On Monday morning, a group of 15 stood together at a spot that has seen more than its fair share of deaths due to fishermen's nets on Neelankarai Beach. They gathered to 'remember' the lives of close to 2,000 lost in a special memorial service, with prayer and a few tears.
Supraja Dharini, who founded the Trust which focuses on sea turtle conservation said, "This was for the 824 adult Olive Ridleys that needlessly died in the nets of trawl fishing boats illegally operating near the Penna estuary, Nellore, on February 22, 2014, and also the 1,000 turtles that died along Vellar Estuary Cuddalore."
To create more awareness of this tragedy, that seems to have become a habitual find these days according to environmentalists - the fisherfolk and locals with their families in villages across Kancheepuram, Nellore, Vijayanagaram and the Krishna district and were also asked to participate by observing two minutes of silence between 8.30 am and 10.30 am. "We requested the same from a number of offices that work with us across the IT and industries sectors, media houses and over 100 schools," she added.
With a 20-foot-tall sand model of a turtle constructed on the Neelankarai beach, where the memorial was held, those present also took the time to read poems emailed by volunteers, exchange stories and even light a few candles. "While it is very depressing to find dead turtles in such large numbers, the hope is that with this initiative, we send out some positive energy to all the turtles, alive and well, swimming in our oceans," said Supraja with a hopeful smile.
