Olive Ridley turtle eggs found in Karnataka’s Kundapura for first time in four years

Babu Mogaveera, an elderly fisherman was on his daily stroll on the beach when he spotted what he had not seen on the beach for four years – Olive Ridley turtle eggs.  Babu, who is experienced in spotting turtle footprints, informed FSL India and 'Clean Kundapura', a volunteer project cleaning the beaches in Kundapura for the last three years. 

Two days later, Babu observed a second batch of eggs, 50 metres north of the first batch. "This was in the same spot we had planned a beach clean-up drive on Sunday. Instead, we decided to build a temporary enclosure to protect the eggs," says Bharat Bangera, a member of Clean Kundapura which organised the cleanliness drive along with FSL India, a youth organisation.

The eggs were spotted in Kodi beach in Kundapura in Udupi district of Karnataka. The sighting of the eggs is not uncommon as sea turtles lay eggs across the Karnataka coast. "There were 30-40 nests spotted this season in coastal Karnataka, from Mangaluru to Karwar. Earlier, the turtles would nest across the coast. But now, because of development and anti-erosion rocks placed on the coast, breeding sites have become restricted. The turtles are moving into other spaces where eggs have not been spotted in recent years," said Shantanu Kalambi, a conservationist based in Kundapur. He works with Reef Watch, a marine conservation organisation headquartered in Mumbai, India.

The development has enthused volunteers working with Clean Kundapura. "The turtle is a sensitive creature and they don't lay eggs where the area is polluted. After over four years, we are spotting the turtle nesting here," Bharat Bangera told TNM. Shantanu says that in the past, 20-30 turtle nests would be found in the same area. "The number has reduced now. Last year, we spotted sea turtle nests in Gangolli and this year, those have been spotted in Kundapura.”

The Forest Department has been informed about the Olive Ridley turtle eggs and is now working to protect the eggs until they hatch.