KOCHI: At a time when people living in the coastal region of the state clamour for the construction of sea walls to protect their lives and properties, another species silently bids adieu to the golden beaches that once belonged to them. Turtles, especially Olive Ridley, that have been nesting on the beaches in the district, have become a rare sight today. According to experts, with nearly 80 per cent of the 580-km -long coastline protected by sea walls, turtles have no place to nest.
“There is no study or statistics available to ascertain the drop in the arrival of the turtles for nesting on Kerala beaches. A proper and in-depth study requires data spanning 10 to 15 years,” said Al Badush, a
researcher with the Nature Conservation Foundation based in Bengaluru. However, the numbers have certainly dropped, he added. “From the hundreds that used to arrive to nest on the beaches in the state, the numbers have dwindled to maybe 10 to 20. If anything, the arrivals are even less,” he said.
The reason is the shrinking beaches. “Turtles like to nest on open beaches. However, in Ernakulam district, open beaches are becoming very rare,” said Badush.The district has ten beaches which have been the prime nesting sites of Olive Ridley turtles. Some stretches at Munambam, Kuzhupilly, Cherai, Njarakkal, Mallipuram, Vypeen (some places), Fort Kochi, Kannamally and Chellanam can be deemed as open beaches.
Conservation, an issue
Recently, a video of forest personnel rescuing a turtle in Lakshadweep had gone viral. “Lakshadweep is primarily a feeding site for the turtles. The islands, which have a lot of lagoons, have at least 600 to 700 turtles in each of these water bodies. Also, people here are not into killing and eating turtles. They are more into protecting them, something that can’t be seen along the Kerala coast,” said Badush.
People in the state consider the turtle flesh and eggs to be a medicine for asthma and many other maladies. However, turtles carry certain chemicals that can be harmful to the body. Besides poaching, turtles also have to battle artificial lights. These lights disorient them, especially the babies,” he said. According to him, among the beaches in the district, Cherai has seen some conservation effort from the part of the residents.
K B Rajeev, along with other fishermen at Cherai, has been taking care of the nests and the hatchlings. “The turtles had stopped arriving at the beach. But in the past two to three years, we have seen two to three making their way and nesting. Whenever they come in, we identify the nests and call the forest department. However, many times the forest personnel never bother and we are left with the responsibility of taking care of the nests. It is a tough job. Someone has to be there always since the nest faces threat from dogs and other animals. Once the eggs hatch, we have to be very vigilant,” said Rajeev. According to him, there have been times when the nests have been destroyed by animals. “Earlier, people used to hunt for the nests and take away the eggs. But now we dissuade them,” he said.