With the little delay in the traditional nesting season, the nesting of Olive Ridley turtles has begun in Puducherry. The delay in the traditional migration season has been possibly due to changes in climatic conditions caused by the influence of successive Cyclones Burevi and Nivar. Now, over the last few weeks, the female Olive Ridley turtles have been leaving hundreds of eggs at nesting spots.
Key Points
- Teams of volunteers led by the Forest Department are engaged in collecting eggs by fanning across the coastline between Nallavadu and Moorthykuppam.
- The Puducherry coastline falls on the migratory route to Odisha used by Olive Ridley turtles.
- Olive Ridleys are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- The Olive Ridley is one of only two species of sea turtles that engage in arribada nesting (Spanish for mass migration), where large groups of females assemble at a nesting site on the beach.
- The nesting season usually begins in November was delayed by a few weeks this year.
- A seven-member team of Forest Department officials is doing patrolling over the coastline in the early hours on a daily basis for weeks, usually from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m.
- The team has also been creating awareness among fishermen in coastal settlements like Narambai, Nallavadu, Moorthykuppam, Pannithittu, and Pudukuppam for protecting the eggs of the turtle species.
As of now, the team has collected over 4,000 eggs and taken them to properly fenced hatcheries. Also, it is expected that this year’s nesting cycle to continue at least till April. It is believed that an adult female at a time lays around 100 to 200 eggs, which hatch after a 48-day period.