Students join sea turtle protection movement

Students have been joining the movement in conserving and protecting sea turtle nests in and around Kundapura.

Two students from Lakshmi Soma Bangera Government First Grade College in Kota, Udupi, joined volunteers of FSL India and others for a night-long nest watch and beach cleaning at the nesting site at Kodi Beach on Thursday, according to Dinesh Saranga from FSL India. Lecturer Prashanth Neelavara guided them.

While Mr. Saranga informed students about the life cycle of sea turtles, the students joined others in providing the pathway for hathlings to move out of the nest towards the sea. They also cleaned the area and collected three gunny bags of trash, comprising mostly empty and broken liquor bottles.

Local volunteer Kodi Ashok Poojari actively helped the student volunteers in carrying out their activities till about 1 a.m.. The students learned the method of measuring temperature near the nesting site and other related activities.

On the night of February 10, forest department personnel, local and FSL volunteers ensured about 74 hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles safely came out of the nests and joined the Arabian Sea near Kodi Light House after about 55 days of incubation. Later, the local residents, including Babu Mogaveera, found some more turtle eggs near Seetharama Bhajana Mandira in Kodi and the same were provided protection with nests on February 14. Volunteers were keeping close watch round the clock on the nest for the safe hatching of eggs.