The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Riddle of the Ridley" book release on Saturday

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Thursday, Jan 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

"Riddle of the Ridley" book release on Saturday

P. Oppili

Shekar Dattatri's book launch will coincide with turtles' nesting season The Olive Ridleys' existence is threatened by rampant mechanised sea fishing

Book cover of "Riddle of the Ridley"

CHENNAI: Wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri's new book, titled "Riddle of the Ridley", will be out this weekend.

The book, published by Tulika Publishers, is slated to be released on Saturday at Bookpoint auditorium on Anna Salai.

Mr. Dattatri said the illustrated publication's release this year would coincide with the Olive Ridley Turtles' nesting season. It gives an account of sea turtles that nest on the Indian coast between December and March.

Hundreds of Ridleys come to the beaches of Tamil Nadu and nearly 2 lakh of these amphibians migrate from the Indian Ocean, south of Sri Lanka, to the coast of Orissa, where the females clamber ashore to nest en masse on two or three select beaches.

The unique mass nesting phenomenon is known as 'Arribada', a Spanish word meaning arrival.

The book delves into the fascinating life of these mysterious creatures and examines the problems that confront them, besides offering some solutions for the conservation of Ridleys.

Rampant fishing

Olive Ridleys is the smallest of the seven species of sea turtles that exist today. Although their population is the highest among the seven, their existence is threatened by rampant mechanised sea fishing, he said. During the last 15 years, tens of thousands of these sea giants have perished due to mechanised boats, he added.

The book contains several rare photographs, including a host of female turtles clambering to the shores during the day.

Normally, females come to the shore during the night to lay eggs.

Brought out in four languages — English, Tamil, Hindi and Oriya, Mr. Shekar said the Oriya version of the book would be made available free for the use of members of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, as they agreed to conduct an awareness campaign among school children in Orissa.

The book is part of a series of books on wildlife called Green books, brought out by Tulika publishers, aimed at children and young adults, Mr. Shekar said.

He added that an illustrated talk on Olive Ridleys by him would be held after the release at the venue on Saturday.

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