
CHENNAI: The Olive Ridley turtles' nesting continues to be poor in Chennai as volunteers, who go on night walks return empty-handed. The Besant Nagar and Neelankarai hatcheries that should have been bustling with activity by now have only eight nests so far.
TNIE had joined the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) volunteers Shantanu Krishnan, a wildlife photographer, and Aakash Prabhakaran, an IT professional, for the night walk from Neelankarai to broken bridge near Adyar estuary on Saturday midnight.
Only one new carcass was found near Kalakshetra in Thiruvanmiyur beach in contrast to over 20 dead turtles each day for the past two weeks. However, it turned out to be a futile walk with no sign of any nesting turtles. Shantanu, a seasoned walker, hoped things would improve by this month's end.
While unsustainable fishing practices like trawling and unscientific developments on the beach fronts are killing the turtles, the conditions on the beaches themselves are not conducive for nesting. In the 9-km stretch, TNIE walked, there were three giant sewage outlets on the beach at Kottivakkam Kuppam and Palavakkam. Two fully decomposed Olive Ridley carcasses were found in the sewage.
Heaps of thermocol, plastics and other garbage deposits were also found in the majority of the stretch, worsening in the stretch from Urur Olcott Kuppam to Adyar estuary, one of the prime nesting locations. All the city garbage drained by the Adyar River into the sea through its estuary gets deposited back on the coastline and left uncleared by the city corporation. Besides, the thermocol and plastics get stuck in the uncontrolled beach creepers making it impossible for the turtles to nest.
Chennai Wildlife Warden Manish Meena along with Tree Foundation volunteers also went on a night walk from Neelamkarai to Uthandi. He came across a mother turtle trying to build a nest near Panaiyur, but unfortunately, her hind legs got entangled in the breach creepers and had to return back to the sea.
"I felt happy to see a turtle alive and trying to lay eggs. This year, the deaths have been on the higher side, but I am confident nesting will pick-up," Manish told TNIE.
The southern beach of National Green Tribunal will be hearing the suo motu case on turtle deaths on Tuesday. This month, so far, close to 550 Olive Ridley turtles, a schedule-1 species, have beached ashore dead.