the-adventure-of-witnessing-turtle-nesting-in-a-n-islands

It is a rare experience for a city dweller to stand under star-lit sky; hearing nothing but the sound of waves striking the shore; breathing cool breeze and waiting with baited breath-- a turtle.

 

Unlike Sri Lanka and few other places where sea turtles are kept in captivity for tourists; in Andamans it is a crime to own one. You can watch them nest in their natural habitat. It is an adventure.

 

All the four species of sea turtles: Hawksbill, Leatherback, Green, and Olive Ridley nest in the Andaman Nicobar Islands. You can witness their nesting from December to March if you are lucky and have patience. Sometimes an entire night’s wait may go wasted; at times turtles show up in groups. Locals inform; turtles hatch on high tide days—around full moon or new moon.  

A lot of human intervention goes behind this seemingly natural phenomenon.

 

Post Tsunami, the population of Leatherback turtles was declining—as most beaches where they nested - vanished. These largest turtles in the world nest in the Andamans but traverse the Indian Ocean to as far east as Western Australia and as far west as Mozambique and Madagascar - foraging. Several monitoring and conservation programmes initiated by Dakshin Foundation, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, in collaboration with ANET and Forest Department not only monitor their nesting trends; they carry tagging programmes, satellite telemetry and genetic studies—by making these programmes collaborative with local populations. Tourists also become a part of the multiple stakeholders who need to be sensitive to their conservation needs.

 

Turtles are killed for their meat—which is fabled to have aphrodisiac properties; their eggs are stolen by humans, dogs and cats. The survival rate of their nestling is poor—as most nestlings are eaten by fish before they swim to safety. Hence, the Forest Department in the islands monitor turtle nesting in the areas they frequent. Though, shortage of manpower leaves several loopholes in their efforts.

 

Turtle hatching

 

During the nesting season, female turtles make their way to the beaches and dig a hole in the sand to lay their eggs. Sea turtles manage to place around 70-150 eggs in each nest and make 3–7 nests during the nesting season. Female turtles lay their eggs late at night and leave them unattended—therefore you need to be prepared to stay late at night to watch this phenomenon.

 

Ordinarily, the eggs take 45 – 90 days to hatch. They break open the shell with their temporary tooth, after which hundreds of hatchlings begin crawling through the soft sand towards the ocean. Their rush to be in the water is captivating. Sometimes the forest department officials release them manually.  

 

Where to Watch

 

Hawksbill, Leatherback, Green, and Olive Ridley turtles--each has their favourite spots. Galathea Bay is the largest nesting area for Leatherback turtles on Great Nicobar Island. But Diglipur, in north Andamans, enjoys the geographical advantage of the visits by all the four kinds. Kalipur beach, Lamiya Bay in Diglipur, Aam Kunj beach and Dhaninallah beach in Rangat Island, Neil Island, Karmatang beach in Mayabunder are some of the important areas where one can witness turtle nesting.

 

Human Intervention

 

You need to be at the right time at the right place; to witness this natural wonder. For travellers it is advisable to take a local guide along since use of phone torch or flashlight is not allowed at night at the nesting sites. It scares the turtle away.

 

The government has built hatcheries solely for conserving turtle nestlings. After the female turtle lays eggs, the forest officials bring them in a net to place them safely under the earth; properly flagged with marking of the date of hatching, number and type of turtle and the maturation date for the nestlings. Large areas are seen flagged under which lie thousands of turtle eggs around the beaches. The forest guards patrol the beaches through the nights to discourage poachers and turtle hunters.

 

The eggs hatch with a success rate of about 90% in a natural nest; when the nest is artificially relocated, as is done in the conservation drive, the success rate drops to about 65%. But to protect them from extinction; this is worth the risk.

 

By Vandana Shukla