Ratnagiri gives new cradle for Olive Ridleys

So you thought that Orissa was the only state that the rare and elusive Olive Ridley Turtle graced with its presence?

Think again. The highly endangered species unfailingly come to a quaint coastal village of Velas, Ratnagiri, about 260 kilometres away from amchi Mumbai, year after year, to lay eggs. About 50 days later, the hatchlings make their way to the sea.

City slickers and nature lovers got a rare glimpse into the world of the Olive Ridley at Velas this weekend, thanks to the Velas Turtle festival organised by the Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM), an organisation crusading to conserve the turtle’s habitat.

The Olive Ridley Turtles hatchlings owe their lives to the enterprising initiative of this Chiplun-based NGO, which has been organising the Velas Turtle Festival every year since 2002, when the NGO started its marine turtle conservation project.

But going was not always easy for SNM. In 2002, when the project was started, the turtle eggs were being poached by the villagers, as were the turtles. “They were sold for as less as one rupee,” recalled Ashok Nitsure, a resident of Velas.

“We selected a few locals to keep a round-the-clock vigil, collect eggs from turtle nest and shift them to specially-made hatcheries on the beach. Fifty-days later, the hatchlings are carefully released into the sea,” explained Bhau Katdhare, who founded SNM.

In 2002, when the project was started at Velas, there were 50 nests from which 2,734 hatchlings were released into the sea. In the years since, the NGO and locals have enabled the successful hatching of over 10,000 eggs and their subsequent release into the sea.

SNM also started the two-day annual turtle festival, which has become immensely popular now. For a nominal fee, visitors can get a taste of rural life, stay at a local residents’ cottage, eat local food, view films on the olive ridley turtle. The festival attracted 300-odd nature lovers from across the state this year. While there are several beaches on the coast where the turtles lay eggs, Velas has the distinction of being the largest nesting site. Out of 150 nests found on the 720-km state coastline this year, 45 were located at Velas.

The highlight of the festival was the release of two hatchlings into the sea. The celebrity hatchlings basked in the limelight as over 300 shutterbugs tried to capture their first few steps on the sandy beach. And 15 minutes later, they were off to begin their life’s journey.