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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.
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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
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
