Maharashtra: Baby boom for Olive ridley turtles along Konkan beaches in Covid time

MUMBAI: Nature heals itself provided human interferences are lesser. A recent survey has found that during Covid lockdown months of 2020-21, the Konkan beaches, which received very few tourists, have seen a major rise in the number of Olive ridley turtle eggs and their hatchlings over the previous years.
Of course, the hard work of NGOs, residents and volunteers who have been working relentlessly for years to save hatchlings and protect eggs before releasing baby turtles into the sea is paying rich dividends, making beaches in Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg districts a more rich and diverse ecosystem, say forest department officials overseeing turtle conservation.

In 2018-19 there were only 23,131 eggs that were procured, this year the number is around 50,800, a jump of more than 100%. Similarly, the hatchlings in 2020-21 were 23,706 as against 12,601 in 2018-19, again a more than 100% rise. Interestingly, forest department sources said, the hatchling success rate has also improved in 2020-21 over the previous 2019-20.
According to officials, the increase in number of eggs, hatchlings or nests though not constant, it has shown a remarkable rise during 2020-21 over previous 2018-19 and 2019-20 which is an encouraging factor for volunteers who have been trying to protect and nourish them. Volunteers and residents not only collect eggs and protect them in hatcheries, but also protect nests from stray animals.
Turtles faced a threat from hunters and animals like dogs who would damage eggs and nests. To save depleting turtles, the state forest department with help of NGOs such as Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra and locals has been conserving them and releasing them into the sea every year for over a decade now.