Versova: Egg shells on beach confirm Olive Ridley nesting

More than 80 Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings had been seen on Versova Beach on Thursday.

A day after more than 80 Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings were seen wading into the sea from Versova Beach, forest officers and volunteers found the hatched egg shells on the beach which confirmed the nesting of the reptiles in the area.  While the sighting of the turtles after nearly two decades brought cheer to the city, environmentalists also raised doubts over their presence on the beach when the eggshells were not found on Thursday.

“No shells were found on the beach on Thursday. However, when our officers dug about a foot deep, they found shells confirming that there has been nesting of these turtles on the beach,” said N Vasudevan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, state Mangrove Cell.

Among the shells were also some unhatched eggs with dead turtles. “In the panchnama we have recorded 96 hatchlings. 80 turtles hatched safely and waded into the sea. Twelve turtles were picked up by the kids but we retrieved them and released them to safety. Four of the turtles were found dead. They must have been very weak to come out of the sand,” said Prashant Deshmukh, Range Forest Officer, western region of the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit of the state mangrove cell.

In an email to Vasudevan on Thursday night, Stalin D, the director of the NGO Vanashakti, had sought an investigation into the matter as no shells  had been found.

“The beach sees a lot of human activity and there are many pits dug up for agriculture. It is unlikely that an adult turtle would choose the area for nesting. Also, there are many stray dogs there and they are likely to have smelt the eggs and removed them. And if the Forest Department believes that nesting has happened there, why do they not cordon off the area and prevent disturbance? I would be happy to see more hatchlings coming out of there but as of now it does not add up,” Stalin said.

Among the shells were some unhatched eggs with dead turtles.

“With the egg shells being found I do not see any more reason for foul play and for us the case is closed. We are keeping a close watch on the area and are conducting patrolling in the morning to see if more hatchlings are coming out. That will tell us more turtles have nested on the beach. We cannot cordon off the area until we are sure that there are more eggs to be hatched,” said Vasudevan.

In the absence of the egg shells, naturalist writer and photographer, Sunjoy Monga, had also raised similar doubts. “I had also volunteered to look for the egg shells on Thursday but none was visible. The officers dug a few feet away on Friday and found them a foot below the ground. Until they were found, the presence of the hatchlings raised several questions but now it seems like a case of unusual nesting here,” he said.

However, it is yet to be ascertained the extent to which the cleaning activity on Versova beach may have aided in bringing the turtles back to the city’s beaches.

“If the nesting becomes regular, then we can say it is because of the cleaning efforts. As of now it is a stray incident. However, it could have played a role as the reptile would not have found the beach conducive if there was any impediment on its path. The garbage on the beach would make it difficult for the reptile to crawl in and out of the beach. While we have to monitor to see if there are more such incidents, I do not want to take away any credit from Afroz Shah for his work of cleaning the beach. If nesting has happened then let us take it as nature’s
certificate for his efforts,” added Vasudevan.

Biswajit Mohanty, a turtle conservator from Odisha and a former member of the National Board of Wildlife, also believes that beach cleaning could have played a role. “While we cannot be sure that the turtles are returning to the beach after 20 years as there has been no monitoring for these years, it is possible that the cleaning of the beach has made it more conducive for them to nest there…,” he said.

Mohanty suggested that the Forest Department should continue to monitor the area as it is likely that there could be more nestings this year. “Since there has been one nesting here it is possible that more might come to nest or they might have already nested. The hatchlings find their way to the sea using their orientation towards light. However, in cities like Mumbai there is a lot of artificial light which is likely to confuse them towards the land. They also need to be protected from stray dogs. For this, they can raise small nets on the beach which will prevent them from wandering and also protect them from predators. They also need to continue monitoring in the coming years as well,” he said.