Andhra Pradesh

Vizag celebrates World Wildlife Day, 100 Olive Ridley turtles released into sea at RK Beach

Written by : TNM Staff

On the occasion of  World Wildlife Day on Friday, several people gathered at the RK Beach in Visakhapatnam, to release 100 Olive Ridley hatchlings. 

The gathering included district, forest officials, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park staff and animal lovers. 

“Till now, 554 Ridley hatchlings have been released into the sea from different places across the coast. This year, forest officials have collected 47,000 eggs from the 250 nests and the hatchlings will be released in another 100 days,” collector Pravin Kumar told The New Indian Express.

The eggs laid by an adult Olive Ridley turtle take 45 days to hatch, and authorities usually shift them to to a hatchery near the coast.

However, the survival rate is very low, following which the hatchlings taking over 25 years to reach adulthood.

The collector also reportedly told fishermen to be careful as seven species of Olive Ridleys visiting the Visakhapatnam coast every year might get trapped in their fishing nets.

As a part of the World Wildlife Day celebration, the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park along with the Forest department organised a ‘Walk the Turtle Talk’ programme from the RK Beach's turtle hatchery to VUDA Park.

“Walk the turtle talk was a title developed to grab the attention of walkers to talk about the turtle on this day to bring responsiveness on wildlife conservation and its relevance to maintain ecological balances in the nature and environment protection,” zoo curator B Vijaya Kumar told Deccan Chronicle.

Several NGOs, schoolchildren from various schools, officials, executive staff participated in the walk and supported the cause of wildlife conservation. 

According to National Geographic, Olive Ridley turtles get their name from the color of their shell, which is initially gray, but turns olive green once the turtle becomes an adult. The female turtles usually lay about a hundred eggs, and are capable of nesting three times a year. 

Though not endangered, they are considered a vulnerable species as many have called for their conservation.

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