CANACONA: The Forest department, which is nursing Olive Ridleys on two beaches in Canacona taluka, has released 387 babies of Olive Ridleys into the sea during the current procreating season.

Environmental experts have warned against possibility of oil pollution in Chilika lagoon, thanks to the large number of ill-equipped mechanised country boats that ply in the lagoon.

More than 800 Olive Ridley turtles, which came to lay eggs on the beaches of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, have died, it was reported on Tuesday.

N.V. Sivarama Prasad, District Forest Officer, Nellore, said such large-scale deaths of Olive Ridley turtles had not been reported from the Andhra Pradesh coast in the recent past. The deaths were caused mainly by the use of trawl nets by fishermen. Local fishermen used only gill nets, which did not pose a threat to the turtles.

Release of excessive water from various dams and barrages for bathing during Magh Mela at Allahabad and unseasonal rainfall in the region have affected the nesting of hard-shell turtles and birds i

At least 1,122 carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles were washed ashore on the beaches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in January alone.

More than 145 dead turtles were found on the stretch between Marina Beach and Neelankarai, while 226 were found between Neelankarai and Marakkanam. In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore recorded 547 carcasses. Marine conservationists say there has been a sharp increase in the number of dead turtles found along the beaches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 2.25 crore for conservation of blackbucks and freshwater turtles under a state plan scheme of wildlife conservation and protection.

As part of its annual mission to ensure the safe mid-sea sojourn of breeding Olive Ridley sea turtles in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary area of Odisha, the Coast Guard has launched 'Operation Oliver'.

Kozhikode: The state forest department has launched a major participatory initiative to make the state’s 590-km coastline turtle-friendly.