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Guardians of the Coast: Protecting Olive Ridley Turtles on Chennai’s Shores

The olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are a vital component of Chennai's coastal ecosystem, particularly along beaches from Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai. That's where this endangered species of turtles nest annually between January and April. These turtles contribute to marine biodiversity by regulating jellyfish populations, thus maintaining ecological balance. 

The olive ridley turtles haven been facing a threatening situation at chennai while nesting for the past years. The pity situation is that over the years the threat to their lives and offsprings has only increased drastically. The nesting season has only began and already 350 dead turtles have washed ashore, marking the highest number in over two decades.

The major causes of this is:

Fishing Practices: The use of large nets often results in turtles being accidentally captured, leading to injuries or death. 

Habitat Disturbance: Increased human activity on beaches, such as vandalism of nests and predation by stray animals, disrupts nesting and hatching processes. 

Pollution: Marine pollution, including plastic waste, poses ingestion and entanglement risks to turtles, further endangering their populations.

Conservation efforts are ongoing to protect these turtles. Organizations like SSTCN, in collaboration with the Chennai Wildlife Division, conduct the turtle walk during nesting season to safeguard nests and facilitate hatchling release. 

The alarming increase in turtle deaths underscores the urgent need for enhanced conservation measures and stricter enforcement of protective regulations to ensure the survival of olive ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches. 

Olive ridley turtles are indigenous to Indian waters and are an important part of the marine ecosystem along India's coasts.

The turtle walk begins at 11pm from neelankarai upto Marina beach that is the nesting habitat of olive ridley turtles. I strongly encourage all the environment enthusiasts in chennai to spend atleast one night for our turtles. 

~bharathi senthilkumar

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