As many as 1000 hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles were released into the sea at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam by the District collector Mallikarjuna, and forest officials.
The forest department, which has collected a total of 40,000 turtle eggs this year, said it has released 4,000 turtles in various stages so far.
District Forest Officer Anantha Shankar said, "We have set up hatcheries at RK Beach, Jodugullapalem, Chepaluppada, Muthyalamma Palli, and Peda Nagamayya Palem on the coast to preserve these rare turtles from being eaten up by dogs and foxes. The baby turtles were coming out of them. The hatching of eggs from collected and preserved ones will continue until the end of May. The cubs will complete thousands of miles and later return to the same shore to lay their eggs."
The endangered Olive Ridley turtles, listed under schedule one, of the endangered species list, come to the coast of Visakhapatnam to lay their eggs every year in the months of January and February.
Forest officials have set up hatcheries at five locations along the Visakhapatnam coast to prevent these rare turtles from being eaten by dogs and foxes. After 45 to 50 days the juvenile olive ridges come out looking for the sea.
However, there is a risk of them being eaten by birds and dogs before they reach the sea, so the authorities carefully collect them and release them in large numbers at once into the Sea.
( With inputs from ANI )
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