TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: The Forest department, which is nursing Olive Ridleys on two beaches in Canacona taluka, has released 387 babies of Olive Ridleys into the sea during the current procreating season.
Agonda beach, which is heavily engaged in tourism activities since a decade now, had only two turtle pits and have released 172 Olive Ridley babies into the sea, protected by the Forest department during this season.
Galgibaga beach, the other turtle nesting site in Canacona taluka, where tourism is also flourishing at a fast pace with licenses issued from this tourism season by the local body, was visited by three mother turtles and 333 eggs were laid. With a high rate of mortality here, only 215 eggs were hatched in all the three pits and released into the sea.
Incidentally, at both the beaches, prime tourist locations after Palolem beach in the taluka, the Forest department with locally engaged hands is operating Nature Interpretation Site, one each at Agonda and Galgibaga, to identify, guard and protect turtle nests of the Olive Ridleys.
In all, only 524 eggs were looked after this year.
Interestingly, non-hatching of all the 524 protected eggs at the five pits on both the beaches have raised many eyebrows, as only 387 Olive babies were hatched.
Sources informed that it will be a daunting task to the forest officials to find out the reason for such a high mortality and the department will be called upon to take corrective measures.
It may be recalled that residents of Galgibaga and nearby areas had strongly opposed government’s plan to develop the Galgibaga coast at turtle conservation site and had also sent back forest officials led surveyors’ team who visited to earmark the coast.
