During the nesting season, hundreds of female turtles come to the beaches at Chennai to lay their eggs (on the same beach they were born).

The nests are conical in shape and are made by the female turtle using her hind flippers. After laying the eggs, the female covers the nest with sand using her back flippers in a process known as the "turtle dance". Once the nest is covered, the female returns to the sea.

To protect the eggs from predators and human interference, volunteers collect the eggs and carefully move them to a safer location. An artificial nest is created in a protected area and the eggs are covered with sand. After about 45 days, the eggs hatch and the baby turtles are carefully removed from the nest and released into the water. Akshath

2.    The survival rate inside the sea is also very low. It is estimated that approximately 1 hatchling survives to reach adulthood for every 1000 hatchlings that enter the sea waters.

3.    Human activities are also a serious threat to the Olive Ridleys. They are extensively poached for eggs, meat, shell, and leather and have large illegal markets around the coastal regions. 

4.    Therefore, their numbers have been declining over the past few years, and the species is recognised as Vulnerable.

I had a lovely opportunity to watch the grand farewell of baby olive ridley turtles. Even though lakhs of turtles bid farewell every year, only 1 in 500 survive till adulthood. This is very sad and humans fishing using trawlers is the main cause of these turtles dying when they are young. When I saw the baby turtles crawl into the sea, I prayed they all grow up and come back here to our beach several years later to nest and lay eggs.