Chennai locals patrol beaches to save Olive Ridley turtles, protect eggs I Photos
Chennai volunteers walk beaches nightly to protect Olive Ridley turtles, saving eggs, amid threats from lights, nets, and coastal development.
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Residents of Chennai, have been patrolling moonlit beaches at night in an effort to save sea turtles and their young, which have been nesting along the shores for thousands of years. In pic: Policemen inspect Olive Ridley turtles at Kovalam Beach in Chennai on Saturday. (ANI)
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The olive ridley turtles and their eggs, which can take up to 60 days to hatch, are at risk from hungry canines, locals searching for a feast, and confusing lighting.(AP)
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Over 260,000 turtle eggs have been gathered and protected this year by locals in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state.(AP)
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Patrollers search the beaches for turtle nesting sites or little mounds of sand that could be signs of buried eggs. Hundreds of turtles have been killed in the area this year alone as a result of being caught in fishing nets offshore.(AFP)
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