DYING?

HE Olive Ridley turtle, a species revered for its unique mass nesting phenomenon known as arribada, is facing a grave threat along India's east coast.

- S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA @Chennai

areas, where females and males come together for mating around this time. This might have resulted in mass mortality. If drowning is the cause, there is no doubt turtles are getting entangled in fishing nets and dying.

Studies undertaken by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and co-authored by Sivakumar, say Olive Ridleys remain along the Orissa coast till May, gradually starting the post-nesting migration to Sri Lanka via, Andhra coast during June and July and thereafter into the northern Tamil Nadu and eastern Sri Lanka coast and remain on the east coast of Sri Lanka from September to November largely foraging. They tend to start their return migration to Orissa coast during early November, some of them reaching the off shore waters of Orissa by November-end and early December. Migration and movement of the long distance moving marine turtle is better studied using satellite telemetry techniques.