Three injured Olive Ridley turtles wash ashore in three days near Mumbai

Mumbai city news: One of them was found in Dahanu on Friday without a right flipper

Three female Olive Ridley turtles were found injured in the past three days at Palghar and Dahanu coastal areas. One of them was found in Dahanu on Friday without a right flipper.

The Olive Ridley turtle that was found with no right flipper at Dahanu on Friday.(HT)

They were admitted to a Turtle Rescue Centre, which is affiliated to the forest department, in Dahanu and are responding to treatment.

A local resident Ganesh Meher found one of the injured turtles at Vadrai in Palghar on Wednesday,said Bhushan Bhoir, a zoologist from Palghar. “The turtle had sustained an injury to its flippers a week before being admitted to the rescue centre. Meher had taken it home then hoping that it would heal on its own and then released it in the Arabian Sea. But a few days later on Wednesday, when he found the turtle at the same spot, he alerted the rescue centre and we got the turtle in an animal ambulance here,” said Bhoir. He added, “The turtle was tired owing to the over secretion of lactic acid from its body owing to the struggle after it got caught in a fisherman’s net. We kept it in an icebox and covered it with a moist jute bag to help it retain moisture.”

The second Olive Ridley turtle, which was found on Thursday in Dahanu, too had injured its flippers on getting stuck in a fisherman’s net. The third one was found on Friday without a front right flipper. “All the three turtles are responding well to treatment. We will keep them under observation until they are fully treated and then release them in the sea,” said Dr Dinesh Vinherkar, a veterinarian at the Dahanu centre.

“During May-June, female turtles come to the spot where they are born to lay eggs and then return to the sea. During this process, they get caught in fishing nets,” added Bhoir.

Bhoir also said that the Kolis, a fishing community, need to be educated about the turtles as some fishermen do take care of them when they get stuck in their nets, but many others just throw them back in the sea.