Turtle found dead on Kumari coast on eve of Wildlife Week

This species of a sea turtle was declared as legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, but still remains a significant conservation concern, according to Davidson Sargunam, International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) member for Ecosystem Management.

The front flippers of the turtle were severely damaged with cut injuries on the head and eye. It would have suffered injuries due to fishing trawlers or any other motorised fishing vessel.

The turtle breeds between mid-December and mid-March and stays close to sea waves for two months before laying eggs on the beach. During this period fishing crafts must exercise utmost caution in not hitting the turtle, Sargunam told DT Next on Sunday.

Olive Ridley turtle is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the Red List of IUCN as its population is dwindling due to human interference in marine ecology, plastic pollution, overpopulation of fishing vessels with banned fishnets and trawling nets, lack of turtle excluder nets, unbridled hunting and poaching of the animal and the eggs.

“If it becomes extinct, the marine ecosystem will be polluted and the survival of the turtle is inevitable and hence it needs to be conserved by all means,” Sargunan opined.

Moreover, several environmentalists urged proper conservation initiatives by sensitizing the people to conserve the precious animal.