The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Olive Ridley nesting season begins well

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Olive Ridley nesting season begins well

P. Oppili

48 nests sighted along beaches from Besant Nagar to Reddy Kuppam

SAFE TRANSLOCATION: Volunteers of Sea Turtle Protection Force relocating Olive Ridley sea turtle eggs into a hatchery in Nainarkuppam on Monday . — Photo: N. Sridharan

CHENNAI : The Olive Ridley nesting season has started off well this time, say sea turtle activists in Chennai and its suburbs. The activists have sighted nearly 48 nests along the beaches from Besant Nagar to Reddy Kuppam in Kanathur. Eggs from these nests have been safely relocated in hatcheries created and maintained by the activists.

Supraja Dharini, an activist, who formed the Sea Turtle Protection Force and is working along the beach from Neelankarai up to Reddy Kuppam in Kanathur, said that in that stretch alone, volunteers of the Force had identified 30 nests. They saw eight nests in Panaiyur, nine in Injambakkam, three in Peria Neelankarai, six in Nainarkuppam and four in Reddy Kuppam.

Dr. Dharini said they have created one hatchery in each village and the eggs were safely relocated in them. This time around a large number of Olive Ridleys were sighted near Pazhaverkadu, a fishing village north of Chennai. The local fishermen had seen the turtles mating and happily playing in the waters, she said.

Wildlife authorities in Chennai have posted a person in Pazhaverkadu from this year. The volunteer would monitor the nests and this year the eggs would not be relocated, Dr. Dharini said.

In the stretch between Besant Nagar and Neelankarai, volunteers of the Student Sea Turtle Conservation Network are monitoring the nests and relocating them in the hatchery near Oorurkuppam in Besant Nagar.

V.Arun, co-ordinator of the Network, said they have sighted 18 nests from Neelankarai to Besant Nagar. A large number of nests were found in the New Beach at Tiruvalluvar Nagar, Tiruvanmiyur. In Neelankarai the volunteers had sighted four and two each in Tiruvanmiyur and Besant Nagar, he said. The sighting of egg-laying Olive Ridleys is also good this season, Mr. Arun said, adding their group sighted about five turtles laying eggs during the turtle walk.

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