Kerala - Kozhikode   

Olive Ridleys ready to swim out to sea

Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE: Another batch of Olive Ridley turtles is getting ready to swim out to the sea from the Konnad beach in Kozhikode. Hatched under the care of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and the Forest Department, these endangered species of turtles will be released into the sea at 9 a.m. on Sunday from the Konnad beach by Forest Minister Benoy Viswom. As many as 87 Olive Ridley turtles will be released by the Minister. These came from the 99 eggs which were collected by the local people from the Konnad beach and handed over to the CMFRI scientists in December last year.

Last year, 77 turtles which hatched from eggs collected from the shore were released.

Olive Ridley turtles are an endangered species and protected under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. These turtles reach the shores of the State to breed in the months of November and December. Olive Ridley experts say the eggs take 42-47 days to hatch. Though each turtle lays 80 to 120 eggs at a time, only around 90 of them hatch. A good number of them fall prey to predators in the land and in the sea. The young turtles take 10 years to mature. Those which survive live up to 400 years. A peculiar characteristic of these turtles is that they return to the same shore to lay eggs.

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