Photos: What's Afoot at Tamil Nadu's 1st Turtle Conservation Centre in Chennai?

Here's all you need to know about TN's initiative to set up its first Turtle Conservation Centre in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu government will set up its first Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre in Chennai.

(Photo: Shantanu Krishnan/ Supriya Sahu)

As a one-of-a kind, comprehensive step to conserve turtle populations along the Tamil Nadu coast, the Tamil Nadu government has announced the setting up of a Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Center at an estimated cost of Rs 6.3 crore.

IAS Supriya Sahu, secretary of environment, climate change, and forests, issued an order to this effect on 20 January 2023. The project would be funded by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board from their resources and implemented by the Chief Wildlife Warden. 

The centre will rescue injured turtles, treat them, and then return them to the sea. It will include facilities like a turtle pool and turtle shed in addition to medical facilities for the rehabilitation of rescued turtles. It will act as a temporary home for sick and injured turtles before they are released back into their natural habitat.

Speaking to The Quint, Supriya Sahu said, "The turtle park will be set up in Guindy National Park, Chennai, primarily because it is one of the most important coastal cities. The centre in Chennai is only a facility to provide leadership and direction to the conservation initiative."

The conservation process includes mapping the areas where turtle nesting regularly happens, identifying the beaches in 14 coastal districts where turtles usually come to nest, including Nagapattinam, Tuticorin, and Kanyakumari, recognising the threats they face, and strategising on mitigating these to enable safe nesting. 

"The centre will work in unison with the local fishing community and NGOs. We will earmark the identified beaches, safeguard them by ensuring that the turtle eggs are not disturbed during beach cleanups, protect them from other predators like street dogs, and create hatcheries for nesting," Supriya Sahu added.

The centre will also help create a repository of information to understand in detail the turtles that visit the coastal areas, their characteristics, and collect details about their breeding. The government has also set up a wing of the Tamil Nadu Crime Control Bureau for turtle conservation. This is a new initiative to research turtles, stay connected with NGOs to conduct regular turtle walks, and also collect and use intelligent network information about poaching or prohibited consumption of turtle eggs. It will study turtle migration routes using conventional flipper tagging, molecular genetics, and satellite telemetry.

Supriya Sahu quoted the government as having established 22 hatcheries, secured them, and safely released 1,64,000 eggs in 2022. Around 15,000 eggs were collected from various beaches throughout the state in 2023. She also said that the turtle conservation plan of the government also includes creating awareness among the fishing community to educate and enable them to protect turtles that accidentally get caught in fishing nets. Veterinary doctors and trained experts will handle the treatment of injured turtles.

"The primary motive is to put proper SOPs in place, that clearly suggest the procedure to be followed when turtles arrive with specific injuries. Through the center, we are aiming to strengthen the expertise on turtle conservation within the Tamil Nadu government," Supriya Sahu said.

Traditional nesting sites are being impacted as a result of increasing biotic pressure. Turtles are becoming an endangered species and conserving them is the need of the hour.

Supriya Sahu further said, "We are committed to approaching turtle conservation in a scientific and systematic manner, ensuring proper documentation and treatment of the turtles, and, most importantly, having treatment protocols in place along with a solid rehabilitation plan. These learnings will also be transferred to other states that might want to engage in similar initiatives."