THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant conservation effort, as many as 108 Olive Ridley Turtle hatchlings made their way back to the sea on the Valiyaveli beach in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The hatchlings emerged from the nest made by fishermen and conservationists at Valiyaveli overnight on Wednesday after 46 days of waiting.
Fishermen and conservationists took extensive measures to ensure the safety of the eggs during the incubation period. On Wednesday morning, the hatchlings were released to the sea by fishermen and forest officials.
Ajith Shankumugham, a fisherman conservationist of The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) - an NGO, said that they found the egg near to the Valiyaveli Church. “The location was not ideal because of the crowd and exposure. Hence we safely relocated the eggs 500 m away from the church. We proved that this method of relocating eggs is safe. All the remaining eggs are also safe and intact and will hatch in the coming days,” said Ajith Shankumugham.
Last year in April, around 80 eggs of Olive Ridley Turtles were found at a nesting site in Shankumugham and none of them hatched because of bad weather. “There has been criticism about relocating the eggs because of that bad experience last year. We couldn’t protect the eggs from the rain at Shankumugham,” he said. Recently, heavy summer showers lashed the capital and the local fishermen and children stood guard over the eggs to ensure their safety.
Depleting shorelines and climate crisis are adversely impacting the population of Olive Ridley Turtles - an endangered species.
“There is no vast shore or beach now and conservation activities are the only way to save the species,” he added. The time for hatching eggs is 42 days and Olive Ridley Turtle is one of the common turtles found on Kerala shore.
