A total of 950 Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings were released into the sea at Besant Nagar on Friday evening from one of the three hatcheries set up by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
According to officials, this year more than 50,000 eggs of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles were collected by forest department personnel. “This is the first time the department has got such a high number of eggs. This year the success rate of hatching is nearly 90%,” said C.H. Padma, Wildlife Warden, Chennai. On an average, nearly 40,000 eggs are collected every year.
On Friday, around 6 p.m, after nearly 45 days of hatching, the 950 hatchlings made a frenzied crawl on the beach sand and headed into the sea, guided by the light from the horizon. A smile lit up the faces of the forest department officials and some volunteers present as the turtles disappeared among the waves.
H. Malleshappa, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests; Sanjay Srivatsava, Chief Wildlife Warden; S.M Abbas, chief project director, TBGP; Yogesh Singh, director, Vandalur Zoo, and other senior forest officials were present.
“We took utmost care of the eggs. This year we collected over 20,000 eggs in Besant Nagar, 21,000 in Kovalam and 10,000 in Pulicat. Five years ago there were only around 300 nests, but this year we have over 500,” said V. Mohan, the headquarters ranger.
The staff and volunteers went on frequent walks along the beach to check on the endangered turtles. “There were guards on three shifts to ensure that no eggs were damaged by dogs or human beings,” he added.
Chennai Collector A. Shanmuga Sundaram held a stakeholders meeting in February to discuss the various measures and precautions to be taken during the conservation season. He had warned of strict action against resorts functioning after 11.00 p.m. during the season.
“Like every year, instructions were provided to the Chennai Corporation to switch off the lights between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. However this year, it was mostly adhered to,” the ranger said.