MADURAI: Olive Ridley sea turtle laid a clutch of 99 eggs at its nesting site along Tiruchendur shore in Thoothukudi district.
It is a rare phenomenon at Tiruchendur nesting site, where some locals witnessed an Olive Ridley turtle listed on Schedule-1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, laying eggs.
More importantly, it is the first case of live nesting in Tiruchendur.
The locals also forwarded the video and the forest personnel took stock, Forest Range Officer Kanimozhi Arasu of Thoothukudi division said on Wednesday.
The sea turtle nesting season usually occurs from December to March and during last year, a total of 2020 turtle eggs were collected from the nesting sites of Manapad, Kulasekarapattinam, Alanthalai and Tiruchendur.
But this year, there is a shift in the nesting season due to flooding.
“Egg collection is usually high in Manapad among other nesting sites since the coast is calm and tranquil,” the Range Officer told DT Next.
The sea turtle eggs were restored and taken to a hatchery in Manapad for incubation.
“Typically, it takes about 45 to 50 days for sea turtle eggs to hatch and once the hatchlings emerge, they will be released into sea,” Arasu said.