Olive Ridley sea turtle lays 158 eggs on Christmas at Kodi beach in Kundapur

A turtle weighing about 70 kg began laying eggs at about 9.45 p.m. on December 25. It took about two-and-a-half hours to lay all 158 eggs

Volunteers of FSL India, a non-governmental organisation engaged in conserving Olive Ridley sea turtles, and Kinara Friends protected as many as 158 eggs of an Olive Ridley sea turtle on the shores of Kodi beach in Kundapur in Udupi district of Karnataka on December 25.

According to Dinesh Saranga, chief coordinator FSL-India, Kundapur, a turtle weighing about 70 kg began laying eggs at about 9.45 p.m. on December 25. It took about two-and-a-half hours to lay all 158 eggs. The turtle delayed the process of laying the eggs for the first half-an-hour due to disruptions by stray dogs on the beach.

The volunteers of Kinara Friends — Ranjith, Ravi, Mahesh, Arun and others — chased the dogs and created a conducive atmosphere for the turtle to lay its eggs. Later, the eggs were transferred to a hatchery near Kodi beach. Volunteers will safeguard the eggs for 52 days during the incubation period. Later, the baby turtles will be released in the sea.

Mr. Saranga said that stray dogs damaged the hatcheries of turtles created earlier on the same beach thrice in this season. On December 25, 40 eggs of a sea turtle, which were being incubated in hatcheries, were damaged by stray dogs. He has requested local authorities to curb the stray dog menace on the beach.