Miracle on the shore

Taran and his family visit an Olive Ridley conservation centre in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra and witness the miracle of baby turtles making their way to the water

As Taran alighted from the night bus, he looked around. It was a small coastal village in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. It was April and the humidity was already high, even at 5.00 a.m. A man was waving at them.

“That must be the volunteer from the Velas Turtle Mitras,” said Appa, waving back.

“Hello, hello! Welcome. We have some good news. We are expecting some turtles to hatch this morning. Let’s head to the beach straight away. You can freshen up later.”

Taran was overjoyed. While booking the trip — an eco-conservation holiday experience to witness the hatching of Olive Ridley turtles — they had been asked to keep an open mind. “Baby turtles don’t know it’s the weekend, and that people will be visiting to watch them hatch,” their guide had said.

But it seemed that they were in luck. “This is so exciting. We are going to witness something really unique,” said Taran, as he loaded his backpack and himself into the jeep. “We have implemented a programme to protect sea turtle nesting sites,” explained the guide. “We patrol the beach round the clock and look for new nests. Then we relocate the eggs to a secure hatchery on the beach itself.”

“What do you mean? Like a chicken coop?”

“Not really. Nests are placed in hand-dug chambers to shield them from tidal erosion and predators. We secure that area with an iron mesh fence and wicker baskets.”