At least 960 baby turtles were released in the Bay of Bengal after they were hatched at St Martin’s Island in the care of biologists last week, a report of the Marine Life Alliance says. Marine Life Alliance, which was formed combining the Climate Resilience and Livelihood (CREL), USAID, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), and the Centre for Advanced Research on Nature and Management (CARINAM), works on marine turtles at St Martin’s. Wildlife biologist Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid of the CARINAM told The Independent that the turtles have all swum to the sea.
Marine turtles live for about 100 years and their eggs take 55 days to hatch. The turtles return to the place where they were born to lay their own eggs. They come ashore either during full moon or new moon, riding the high tides. They look for a suitable place on the beach, scoop out the sand, lay their eggs, cover these and stay guard for some time, Dr Rashid narrated.
“It is as if nature’s built-in radar guides them to their place of birth even from thousands of miles away in the deep seas—unless they are caught in the nets of the fishing trawlers,” Dr Rashid added.
Since the Alliance started working, it has been able to maintain vigil on the beach with the help of MOEF guards. Since the project began, initially under the care of CARINAM, hundreds of thousands of baby turtles have been released in the sea, the biologist said.
Apart from dogs preying on the turtles, tourists often disturb these despite notices on the beach. However, over a dozen volunteers now help the guards keep vigil on the adult female turtles when they lay their eggs.
Dr rashid said dogs have become a menace. Their numbers are multiplying with the growing number of tourists to the island. The main reason is that there are now more accommodations on the island and boats that ply between the island and the mainland, he pointed out.