NAGAPATTINAM: Around 50,000 Olive Ridley Turtle hatchlings, which is the most in the state, are expected to be released in the Nagapattinam Wildlife Division. Olive Ridley Turtles started arriving in the coastal delta last November and the hatchlings are being released since January. It takes about 42 to 70 days for the eggs to hatch.
The turtles are classified as "Endangered Species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Sirkazhi Forest Range, every year, leads in egg collection in the state with around 31,782 eggs in 288 nests in three hatcheries.
Of them, 1,423 eggs have been hatched so far and were released into the sea. A Joseph Daniel, the forest ranger of Sirkazhi, said, "Our range leads the state in egg collection in the release of hatchlings. We expect another 10,000 eggs." Nagapattinam Forest Range has received 8,215 eggs in 70 nests in three hatcheries. Among them, 588 eggs have hatched so far and the hatchlings were released.
"The phenomenon of 'site fidelity' could be observed here. The hatchlings released into the sea will return to nest in the same place after 15 years or so," said G Athilingam, the forest ranger of Nagapattinam. The first nesting (November 14) and the first release (January 8) was in Samanthampettai in Nagapattinam Range. Meanwhile, the release of hatchling is yet to gain momentum at Vedaranyam forest range despite it receiving hatchlings from December.
According to the department, around 5463 eggs were collected in 52 nests in the Arukatuthurai hatchery and 5158 eggs were collected in 50 batches at Kodiyakarai hatchery. "We are expecting the eggs to hatch in another two weeks," Vedaranyam forest ranger B Ayub Khan said.
According to experts, soil temperature in nesting areas determines the gender of males and females in turtles: turtles are born male if the soil temperature in the nesting area is less than 28%, and they are born female if the temperature is above 31%.
They attribute the soil temperature as one of the reasons for delayed hatchling in Vedaranyam range. Dr Deepa Jayaraman, a researcher, said, "Soil temperature was recorded at around 34 degree celsius in Arukatuthurai and around 27 degree celsius in Kodiyakarai. The increased soil temperature at the nested area may have caused the delay in hatching."