CHENNAI: A group of fishermen in Chennai’s Besant Nagar last week was caught unawares with a rare sight—a critically endangered Hawksbill turtle hatchling near the broken bridge coast. This is the first time a live Hawksbill turtle has been spotted in Chennai, although a few dead ones sometimes wash ashore in the ocean currents.
Urur Kuppam fisher elder S Palayam was the one who spotted the baby turtle, which to him looked entirely different from the Olive Ridley turtles that nest and hatch on Chennai beaches. He clicked a few pictures and shared them on a Whatsapp group, which has volunteers from the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) as members.
Soon, the baby hatchling was identified to be a Hawksbill turtle. Though SSTCN volunteers patrolled the entire area for the nest, they returned disappointed. There are several questions as to how the hatchling which according to Palayam, seemed to be freshly hatched, ended up here.
In India, Hawksbill turtles are found in the Lakshadweep Islands, the Andaman Islands and a few beaches in the Nicobar Islands such as Indira Point. In Tamil Nadu, they were sighted on a few occasions in the Gulf of Mannar, which is rich in coral reefs.
This hatchling could have been from a wild nest, which may have gone undetected during the daily turtle walks. The turtle tracks of both mother and other hatchlings may have been erased as the Chennai Corporation is cleaning the beach daily.
Other possibilities could be that the hatchling may have been dropped here by a bird or washed to the shore by the current.
Palayam said the hatchling was struggling to make its way into the sea. “So, I carefully scooped it with the sand and released it into the sea.”
According to WWF, Hawksbills are highly threatened and their population declined globally by over 80% during the last century. There are difficulties in accurately assessing population size, but a recent estimate of adult nesting females of 8,000 plus has been made.
This turtle species is much sought after throughout the tropics for their beautiful brown and yellow carapace plates that are manufactured into tortoiseshell items for jewellery and ornaments. Despite their current protection under CITES and many national laws, there is still a large amount of illegal trade in Hawksbill shells and products, WWF said on its website.