(IN): Olive Ridleys still in peril

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090524/jsp/nation/story_11011339.jsp

 

Olive Ridleys still in peril

 

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT A village boy helps baby Olive Ridley turtles

as they make their way towards the Bay of Bengal at the Rushikulya river

mouth beach in Ganjam district in Orissa on April 5. (AP)

 

Bhubaneswar, May 23: *Wildlife conservationists today expressed concern

over high mortality of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles on the Orissa

coast.

 

“While people celebrate World Turtle Day today, there is little to cheer for

the Olive Ridleys here,” said Biswajit Mohanty, the co-ordinator of

Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation project.

 

During the past 15 years, carcasses of more than 1.5 lakh turtles have been

found on the Orissa coast, which has earned the dubious title of being the

“world’s largest turtle graveyard”.

 

This year was also a nightmare for the Olive Ridley sea turtles, as at least

10,000 of their carcasses were washed ashore, claimed Mohanty.

 

In India, this species is as protected as the tiger and the elephant being

listed under Schedule I to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Trapping,

killing or selling this species could result in a maximum of seven years’

imprisonment. However, not a single person has been convicted in Orissa for

killing sea turtles, rued the wildlife activist.

 

The endangered Olive Ridleys continue to be massacred despite directions

passed in April 2004 by the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court

to protect them. “The apathetic Orissa government continues to neglect

turtle protection in spite of several appeals by international and national

wildlife conservation groups to save them,” alleged Mohanty.

 

Trawler crews often batter the heads of the trapped turtles and cut off

their flippers This year, even the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary recorded the

death of thousands of Olive Ridleys because of uncontrolled illegal fishing.

 

 

Turtles are also massacred at the Devi river mouth where illegal fishing is

rampant. This year, at least 2,000 turtles died at the Devi river mouth

alone, he alleged.

 

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