Feature story - February 6, 2006
ORISSA, India — Our Turtle Witness Camp was launched on 27th January and in the first week alone, we’ve witnessed the circle of life in all its gore and glory. We’ve watched, awe-struck, as scores of mating turtles surface around the faithful MV Sugayatri. We’ve walked the beaches, unspeakably moved by the many carcasses literally dotting the beaches. And then found our hearts lifted again as flipper tracks in the sand provide evidence that the big mamas have been visiting.
The beaches of Orissa are one of three remaining mass nesting sites for the Olive Ridley sea turtle in the world. Every year, several hundred thousand turtles nest along the coast, mainly at the Gahirmatha, Devi River Mouth and Rushikulya River Mouth beaches.
Life at the Turtle Witness Camp is a kaleidoscope of emotions
indeed. There is, of course, the excitement of living out of tents,
waking up to a river gurgling nearby, and a clutch of fisherfolk
already sorting their catch at six-thirty in the morning (it is the
East Coast, after all!). But a myriad emotions struggle for space
as you witness the exquisite beauty of the region , the rare
phenomenon of the Olive Ridley arribada , the miraculously routine
sightings of turtles, but also the needless and senseless deaths of
literally hundreds of the same turtles. It's been a busy few days
at the TWC.
The gods were in attendance on the 27th of January, as we
launched our camp with a traditional grihapravesh ceremony. Also
joining us were over 300 of our immediate neighbours - traditional
fish-workers and their families from the six villages closest to
our camp - to bless us, and pledge their cooperation in our work
defending the oceans.
Once we'd finished the ceremonial feast along with our guests,
it was time for some hard work. We headed out to sea, to continue
the exercise we'd started on the 16th of January: the deploying of
buoys to demarcate the periphery of the Gahirmatha Marine
Sanctuary.
With that part of our goal accomplished, we decided to head
closer to shore, searching for both turtles and fishing vessels in
the no-fishing zone. Within minutes our crew spotted the outlines
of two fishing vessels, a couple of kilometres from the shore. (The
no-fishing zone extends till 20 km from the shore.) As we neared
the vessels, a magical sight greeted us: the sea was full of Olive
Ridleys. We were right in the middle of a congregation patch!
Around us, the sea was literally teeming with Olive Ridley turtles,
with one or the other breaking the surface for air almost every
minute. We watched, entranced, for many minutes, no one saying a
word, as these beautiful creatures swam around us, some coming
within a few metres of the boat.
On the 1st of February, we set out to Sutcliffe Island, where we
bear witness to the sobering reality of turtles washed ashore -
dead. A case of the natural cycle gone all wrong, carcasses of
adult male Ridleys are strewn across the surf and beach. Normally,
once they've gone out into the sea as vulnerable hatchlings, male
turtles never return to shore.
In a little over an hour, we counted 79 dead turtles. A few
carcasses were so recently dead that they were still bleeding onto
the beaches. Another carcass still carried its precious load of
eggs, destined never to line a nest. Some, we were able to measure
and identify as male or female. Others had been on the beach so
long they'd already decomposed into unidentifiable meals for the
maggots.
In the middle of this morbid carcass-counting exercise, a silver
lining appears. Flipper tracks leading up the beach from the water,
marking a loop around a deceptively smooth clearing, before heading
back down to the water. This is it! Maternity ward no. 1 on
Sutcliffe Island.
Now it's a matter of waiting and watching. 6-8 weeks from now,
we will have the pleasure of witnessing the hatchlings emerge from
that clearing, striking out towards the water. Until then, we pin
our hopes on that one magical moment.
If you would like to be a part of magical moments at the Turtle
Witness Camp, click here to
join the Ocean Defenders.
If you're a journalist and are keen to help us bear witness and
bring the story of the Olive Ridleys to the rest of the world,
click here
to send an email to our Media Team.