Safely Back to the Sea
Every year, between the months of December-March, the Olive Ridley turtles arrive in large numbers on the East Coast of India for mass nesting or arribada. After laying eggs, the adult turtles go back to the sea immediately and the juveniles are left to survive on their own to reach the sea. Only 1 out of 1000 olive ridley turtles survive to reach adulthood. HCL Foundation in partnership with Tree Foundation and Tamil Nadu Forest Department supported the re-location of around 12,000 eggs to the hatcheries set up in Neelankarai, Injambakkam and Vadanemmeli across the Chennai-Chengalpattu districts. Since December, the sea turtle protection force members of Tree Foundation are regularly patrolling the beaches during the night and early morning to locate any turtle nest. Once a nest is found, it is dug out and the eggs are collected and relocated to the hatcheries for incubation. The eggs are stored in the hatcheries by marking grids on the sand surface. Each grid contains a maximum of 120 eggs and the alternate grids are left empty. This helps the hatchlings to absorb sufficient oxygen and micronutrients from the sand and ensure the maximum survival rate. The hatchlings emerge after 45-48 days of incubation and are released into the sea