Officials from Maharashtra’s Mangrove Cell on Friday discovered several hatched and unhatched eggshells that belonged to the Olive Ridley Turtle that laid eggs at Mumbai’s Versova beach.
Officials from Maharashtra’s Mangrove Cell on Friday discovered several hatched and unhatched eggshells that belonged to the Olive Ridley Turtle that laid eggs at Mumbai’s Versova beach.
There are contrasting reports on whether the turtles have arrived in Mumbai for the first time. While some say that that they had witnessed the turtle nesting over 25 years ago, Sunjoy Monga, a Naturalist - Writer & Photographer told DNA that this could be the first ever nesting report of Olive Ridley turtles on the Mumbai coast. “I visited the spot on Thursday afternoon and when I saw no signs of eggs or nest pits, I informed the Mangrove Cell. Their officials and some volunteers dug out over 100 eggshells, which included a few dead turtle hatchlings on Friday morning. I have been told that the hatchlings had emerged from the sides of the cultivation pit. It appears to have been a most unusual nesting record f the turtles based on the evidence I received,” he said.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Mangrove Cell, N Vasudevan said, “Our staff has found shells and unhatched eggs near the vicinity of the pits so now we do not think that there is any room left for doubt and we can surely say that Versova can be recorded as an Olive Ridley turtle nesting site. Now we would want to ensure enhance the protection of the beach as there are chances that there could be few more nesting spots and our staff has been asked to keep patrolling the beach.”
Earlier, naturalists and turtle experts had raised questions about missing eggshells, stating that they had not been discovered at the site. Some even questioned the fact that the hatchlings were found in a deep pit dug by methi cultivators on the beach as a turtle is not known to get into a deep pit to lay eggs.
The news was broken by Versova-based lawyer Afroz Shah, who has been spearheading the clean-up of Versova Beach since October 2015. “I am happy that such a natural phenomenon was reported from Versova beach and I believe that clean beaches have attracted marine life. My primary concern is the safety of the turtles, and we have volunteers patrolling the beach to ensure no harm comes to the hatchlings,” he said.
Shah said that now that the Mangrove Cell is convinced about the hatchlings, it was crucial to now focus on the important issue including protection of the beach and the natural habitat of the turtles. “There are several issues at the moment including pit dug up by the methi cultivators, which should be removed. Installing the LED lights should be discontinued as it will affect the chances of turtles nesting at the beach.”
Environmentalist and Director, Conservation for NGO Vanashakti Stalin D who had written to Mangrove Cell to investigate the finding of hatchlings as it could be a possible case of poachers being involved and abandoning the hatchlings on Versova due to fear of being caught said that while the mangrove cell has cleared the doubts efforts should be taken to ensure that not only the Versova beach but also every beach in Mumbai and adjoining area should be made turtle-friendly. “The mangrove cell needs to keep a vigil on all the beaches and report if there is turtle movement and also keep a watch on nesting sites and its protection. There is a plan by the State to install high mast LED lights across all beach of Mumbai and it should be immediately stopped keeping in mind the turtle nesting,” he said.
Another well-known marine expert said that while a lot of question remain unanswered one can always be left surprised by nature. "It is possible that this could be a sporadic nesting. Now one should start working to make Versova beach a regular nesting site for turtle just like Chennai's Marina beach stretch," he said.
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