Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: In the quiet hours of Wednesday morning, a significant milestone was achieved at the Agonda Turtles Rehabilitation Centre (TRC) as 50 olive ridley hatchlings made their way into the Arabian Sea. This event marked the first successful hatchling release of the season, following the protection of 65 turtle eggs in the centre’s nesting site.
According to RFO Rajesh Naik from the South Marine Centre, the hatchlings emerged at 1:30 AM. Out of the initial 65 eggs, 50 have successfully hatched, with forest and wildlife officials anticipating more hatchlings from the remaining 15 eggs over the next couple of days.
The release process involved carefully collecting the young olive ridley babies in a plastic container and then releasing them near the shoreline, allowing them to mingle with the waves of the Arabian Sea. This batch of eggs was laid by a mother turtle on December 28, 2024, marking the first of two batches, with a second batch of 107 eggs laid the following day.
The forest department and wildlife officials are currently protecting a total of 107 pits, including those at Agonda TRC and another nesting site at Galgibaga TRC. At Agonda, there are 85 pits, while Galgibaga has 22 pits, collectively safeguarding 10,904 eggs.
