Till 1999, one could buy eggs of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles from local shops in the area around Edakkazhiyur Panchavady beach.
There was enough supply between November and April, when the turtles would come to the beach near Chavakkad to lay eggs in nests they would form 40 feet away from the sea on the sand. Worried that the turtles would soon be extinct, a local school teacher N.J. James started Green Habitat, a group that would help conserve the endangered species. The members of the group would go on turtle walks on the beach during the egg-laying period and bring the eggs to a hatchery. After the eggs are hatched, the babies would be released to the sea.
This year too, the team waited for the turtles to come in November. But they came late, may be due to the floods. On January 4, Salim and Ejas of the Green Habitat found the first nest with 91 eggs during their routine turtle walk. They brought the eggs to the hatchery and 81 of them were hatched after 48 days.
Later, 25 more turtles came and laid around 62 eggs. They too were brought to the hatchery and 59 of them were hatched. A total of 140 turtle eggs were hatched so far this season. The babies were released to the sea.
“Usually, turtles dig up pits on sandy beaches and lay eggs at midnight. It covers the eggs with sand before returning to the sea. But they may get wet during high tides. Sometimes dogs and foxes eat them. We take the eggs and protect them in our hatchery,” says Mr. Salim, who is also a photographer. The incubation period is between 45 and 55 days. Sea turtles are known to migrate thousands of kilometres across the sea.
The Olive Ridley turtles have also been listed as endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature.