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British rugby players campaign for
Olive Ridley in Orissa
by Sarada Lahangir

       Rusikulya (Ganjam, Bhubaneshwar): Some British rugby players who have come to Orissa for teaching tag rugby have joined the campaign launched by local activists in the state to save the depleting Olive Ridley turtles. The campaigners are in Gunjam district. The environmentalists and players were opposing the construction of new port near Rusikulya, as it will harm the turtle.

      The players were carrying placards carrying messages: "Save Olive Ridley sea turtles." "We have come here to teach the children the game of tag rugby. We are with the Tag Rugby Development Trust. When we reached here, we came to know about this organisation, which believes in saving the turtle. Its member explained to us about the significance of the turtles nesting site in Orisss," said Martin, a rugby player. Olive Ridley turtles nest on the coast of Orissa in large numbers. But their population has dwindled in the last few years. "We believe if the port gets built, these turtles will be threatened. They are already in danger, it's important to support the campaign and hopefully stop the port being built," Martin added. The players also pointed out the fact that tourists like India due to its natural beauty and turtles are the part of that beauty. Therefore, the Olive Ridley turtles should be saved. "One thing I found out is that India is a very beautiful country, very beautiful people. But if you want people to come here and enjoy India , you have to save the wildlife as well. That's really important and turtle is a part of that. It's very important that you save that and you make sure that there nesting sites are preserved," said Jack, another rugby player.

      The Forest Department is trying to save the turtle as well through regular patrolling but the turtles are declining along the beaches of Orissa. Olive Ridley turtles swim for thousands of miles to come each year to Orissa at the end of October for breeding. These turtles can be found in November at the delta region of River Devi off the Ganga Devi beach in Puri District. The coastal region of Orissa is one of the three nesting grounds for more than half the world's population of Olive Ridley turtles while the other two are Costa Rica and Mexico . The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) is one of the smallest species of sea turtle. It is named for the olive colour of its heart-shaped shell. These lightly-built turtles have an average weight just over 100 lb (up to 50 kg.). They have a high-domed shell, with a carapace length of only 27 inches (70 cm). Olive Ridleys are omnivorous, feeding on crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters, sea grasses, algae, snails, and fish. They are sometimes seen feeding on jellyfish in shallow waters.

     The turtle forage offshore in on the beaches of Orissa. Here is one of the nesting grounds of the Ridley in the world. Thousands of these turtles come ashore to lay their eggs but is now threatened. Trawling and offshore drilling for oil and gas has led to over a 100,000 dead Olive Ridley turtles have been washed ashore in the last ten years. Since breeding sites are very few, efforts are needed to protect them.
-Nov 19,  2006

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