First Green Sea turtle hatches on Maharashtra coast

Pic/Mohan Kurapati

In some good news for wildlife lovers, the first hatchling of Green Sea turtle came out from the nest at Devgag-Tarkarli Beach. This is said to be the first nest of Green Sea turtles along the coast of Maharashtra.

Speaking to mid-day, Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) and head of Mangrove Cell, said, "On March 5, the first hatchling emerged from the nest. The Green Sea turtle had nested at Devgag-Tarkarli Beach on January 11."

There were a total of 74 hatchlings and all of the hatchling have emerged out. The state of Maharashtra has a 720-km long coastline, where Olive Ridley turtles are commonly found. There have also been several instances where Olive Ridley and Green Sea turtle have been found entangled in fishing nets.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the Green Sea turtle is an endangered species. Migratory by nature, it is found in tropical and sub-tropical waters.