RAMESWARAM: A record high of 1,533 Olive Ridley turtle eggs were collected in a day, at the Mandapam Wildlife Range, along the shores of Dhanushkodi on Thursday. Mandapam Forest Range Officer G Venkatesh said that setting a new record in the Mandapam Wildlife Range, an all-time high of 1,533 Olive Ridley turtle eggs were collected from 13 nests at Arichalmunai and Dhanushkodi on Thursday.
“In Ramanathapuram district, about 90 per cent of the Olive Ridley turtle eggs are collected within Mandapam Wildlife Range and the rest within Keelakarai Wildlife Range.” This year, the nesting season began by January 11 and a total of 9,747 turtle eggs were collected from 83 nests in the Mandapam Wildlife Range while about 2,000 eggs were collected from Keelakarai Wildlife Range, Venkatesh added. The collected eggs have been kept at Mukundarayar Chathiram hatchery, he stated.
Venkatesh said that favourable climatic conditions, seawater currents and increased awareness among the fisherfolk on sea turtle conservation could be attributed to a spike in turtle egg collection this year. Last year, nearly 7,000 eggs were collected in Mandapam Wildlife Range, he shared.