Light, especially of the artificial kind, is a no-no for nesting Olive Ridley turtles. In fact, artificial light distracts young hatchlings, which make their way to the sea at night, and attracts predators.
However, metaphorically speaking, the turtles need a guiding light.
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Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, a non-governmental organisation based in Maharashtra, has been working to conserve the nesting sites of the Olive Ridley Turtles. The NGO has so far protected over 16,000 hatchlings in about 30 coastal villages in the region. To facilitate their work, SNM recently called for donations to procure a GPS navigation system. A donor promptly responded to their call.
That’s just a baby step. As the nesting season approaches, more work remains for these dedicated volunteers.
In March last year, SNM organised a Turtle Festival in Velas, Maharashtra jointly with the Forest Department and the Velas gram panchayat. About 250 visitors from across Maharashtra participated in the roadshows, film screenings and book release ceremonies. Over 120 hatchlings were released safely into the sea over the two days of the festival.
An important outcome of the festival was that the residents of the village were awakened to the urgency of the issue of conserving marine turtles. The festival also brought in Rs 50,000 in funds, which will be used for stepping up conservation efforts.
SNM also works for the conservation of the White-bellied Sea Eagle, Indian Swiftlet and the White-backed Vulture.
Photographs: Courtesy Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra/Laxmikant Deshpande.
More information and photographs of the Turtle Festival at http://www.snmcpn.org/photos_festival.html
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Hello Amar,
How are you? Perhaps you'd remember that I wrote this post after a discussion with you. 🙂
– Bijoy
Hello Guys,
It was interesting to find my images shot during Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra's Turtle festival on your blogspot…May I know if we have met? Because I dont remember sharing these images with any blog or website
Festival again this year on 26th April
Can you help us stop the mass murder and imprisonment of 33,000 wild horses and burros! The Wild Horse Foundation has a plan that offers a solution, but we need your help! Please stop this trail of carnage and public waste by contacting Ken Salazar at the Bureau of Land Management at the link below:
http://capwiz.com/madeleinepickens/issues/alert/?alertid=12943361&type;=AN
Hello,
I love your blog! I’m a wildlife buff, i follow your blog regularly. Good stuff 🙂
Hi,
Great post on the Olive Ridleys. Are you familiar with what the WILD Foundation is doing to protect the Olive Ridley nesting site at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary? They’ve got a whole page about their efforts on http://www.wild.org.
Clint