Click to play videoPuri: CNN-IBN has captured on camera thousands of dead Olive Ridley turtles on a single beach in Orissa’s Puri district.
This has happened despite the state government’s repeated denials of the endangered animals getting killed due to illegal fishing.
The 2-km-stretch of the Devi river-mouth beach in Puri saw a large number of dead turtles. The official figure is set at 2000.
Though this is the first time so many dead turtles were caught on camera, it was not the first time they've perished in such large numbers. Apparently, wildlife officials used to immediately bury them earlier.
After CNN-IBN captured the dead turtles on camera, the state's wildlife department had no choice but to admit that it is helpless.
"The number of trawlers involved in fishing is increasing every year, so naturally the number of dead turtles will keep on increasing. We are not given enough power under the law to stop illegal fishing,” said Orissa’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Bijoy Ketan Patnaik.
Since November 2007, approximately 5210 turtles have died, according to official figures, the highest ever in this period; unofficial figures far exceed this number.
Over two lakh of these turtles came to three major sites in Orissa every year to lay eggs – Rusikulya, Devi and Gahirmatha.
Though fishing is banned during this period at these sites, trawlers still take to the waters killing turtles which get hit by propellers or get caught in fishing nets.
Saving the turtles may mean depriving the fisherman, though.
“The Government has put a ban on fishing during this period, but how will we survive if we do not fish? That is our livelihood,” bemoans a fisherman, Kashi.
If the Olive Ridleys are to be saved, the need of the hour is stricter enforcement by the government to ensure that the trawlers use the turtle excluder devices and not go fishing in the turtle breeding areas.
If the government makes an effort, turtle mortalities could be reduced substantially.
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