Around 500 olive ridley hatchlings were released into the sea at Jodugullapalem beach here on Sunday, as part of the project being funded by the NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Plant for protection and re-production of the endangered species.
After reaching the age of 100 days at a hatchery developed by the NTPC Simhadri as a part its CSR activity, the baby turtles were released into the sea during the early hours.
Conservation project
The PSU is funding ₹4.6 crore to the Forest Department for the project that was launched in 2015-16 fiscal year and is being implemented across the coastal belt of the State.
The NTPC and the Forest Department have also undertaken inventory mapping of breeding sites, identified nesting and breeding habitats along the shoreline and migratory routes and prepared guidelines to minimise the mortality of the turtles. Classified as vulnerable under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the olive ridleys are facing from poaching, attack by stray dogs and failure to use turtle excluder devices in fishing vessels. Three species are spotted in the State.
Olive ridleys are the regular visitors to Andhra Pradesh coastline while the green turtles and Hawksbills are sighted occasionally.
NTPC Group General Manager A.R. Maiti, General Managers S.P. Singh, H.C. Verma and Deepanjalinagar Ladies Club president Swati Maiti were present when the hatchlings were released.
The NTPC Simhadri has so far released ₹4 crore in four instalments for the conservation project and the remaining ₹60 lakh will be released shortly, the officials said.
A senior official said that the project was envisaged for protection and re-production of olive ridley by involving the Forest Department and local communities.
Eggs laid on the beach are being shifted to the hatcheries to ensure their protection.
Olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley, are sea turtles which come to Andhra and Odisha coast in large numbers for nesting.
Growing to about two feet in length, the turtles get their name from its olive-coloured carapace, which is heart-shaped and rounded. The hatchlings are dark grey with a pale yolk scar, but appear all black when wet. The official said carapace length ranges from 37 to 50 mm and they seldom weigh over 50 kg.