Release of Rehabilitated Sea Turtles on April 20th 2022

TREE Foundation’s Rescue and Rehabilitation team regularly receives calls to help stranded or injured turtles along the coast during the months of December–April every year. After receiving calls from Sea Turtle Protection Force members, volunteers or the general public about stranded turtles, TREE Foundation immediately arranges for a team to rescue the distressed turtle.TREE Foundation’s Rescue and Rehabilitation centre at Neelankarai is run with special permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu Forest Department.

 “Saki” an Olive Ridley Sea turtle, approximately 4 to 7 years old, was found entangled in a large ghost net weighing 1464 Kgs about 5 nautical miles from Pazaya Nadu Kuppam off Chengalpattu coast on the South East Coast of India, on the 21st of January 2022 and was brought to the TREE Foundation Rescue Rehabilitation Center. From Saki’s condition it was very clear that she had been entangled in the ghost net for many months and this had caused near fatal injuries to the soft flesh around her neck and caused the amputation of her right front flipper. 

Saki was immediately brought to Dr.Jayaprakash, specialist veterinarian who has experience working with injured turtles. Saki was intensively cared for, as she started the slow process of healing her right shoulder and the deep cut across her neck. The injured turtle was rescued and cared for until full recovery at the TREE Foundation Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. 

While under medical care the turtle is placed in sea water rehabilitation tanks which are cleaned and sea water replenished manually on a daily basis. Sufficient and required diet consisting of fish, squids, shrimps and crabs was provided during the period. 

The turtle has now been certified fit to be released back to its natural habitat. Accordingly, the turtle was released on 20th April 2022. between 10:00 to 11:30 hrs in deeper waters 3 kms off the Neelankarai coast in the presence of Mr.Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, the Environmental Wing Secretary, DMK, Dr Jayaprakash, Director of Clinics (retd), TANUVAS, students, volunteers, Sea Turtle Protection Force Members and members from TREE Foundation. The turtle was taken by boat 3-km offshore and released near the rock formation where a wide variety of prey fish is available in order to make it easy for the turtle to feed and re-adjust to the open ocean once again. 

It was a moment to bid adieu to the turtle and also huge encouragement and a morale booster for the members of the Sea Turtle Protection Force and the Rescue and Rehabilitation centre.Saki may choose to return to shore once again only when it would be ready to mate in 15 or 16 years time. 

Dr Jayaprakash, Director of Clinics (retd), TANUVAS said that though his part in treating the turtle is very miniscule the challenging task is  giving them the daily medication, and caring for the turtles for a long time since they are reptiles. He said caring for reptiles is a arduous task and is happy that Saki healed well .

Mr.KarthikeyaSivasenapathy, Environmental Wing, Secretary, DMK,accompanied by ( mention the other ministers who attended the release) graced the meeting, as he spoke to the gathering comprising of students, teachers, conservationists, scientists , staff and fishermen who form the Sea Turtle Protection Force (STPF).  He explained the pivotal role  fishermen play in the conservation of life in the ocean. He lauded the STPF for their service in not only rescuing entangled turtles from fishing nets and ghost nets but also putting in effort to remove ghost nets and maintaining their environment a task impossible unless they are involved. Each of the STPF members mentioned how many nesting turtles, eggs and hatching they have protected. Mr.Karthikeya Sivasenapathy surprised the gathering by individually felicitating each of  the STPF ( fishermen turned conservationists) with a shawl for the exemplarily service to the environment. 

Dr.SuprajaDharini, Chairperson, TREE Foundation said, “Seeing the turtle return to the ocean and knowing the challenges she will face can be a very bittersweet feeling. Deep down though we know that, despite the challenges she may face, her life belongs in the ocean so that is where she should rightfully be. 

Turtles find it difficult to survive in the wild without their flippers, as the fore flippers are used for their navigation, and the hind flippers act as a rudder steering the turtle. This also creates a great difficulty for them to locate food and to go for it. They remain just below the surface of the water and come up to the surface to breathe and dive deep only while finding prey. 

We also wish to thank HCL Foundation for the incentivisation to fishermen as alternative income to the Ghost Net Retrieval Program. Because of this, the message to protect endangered marine species and importance of sea turtles has spread far among the fishing communities in Chennai and Chengalpattu Districts. So far, we have collected 57,365 kgs of ghost net. 

We request your esteemed daily to give due and exhaustive coverage of Saki’s release and to explain the plight of these creatures and the challenges they face in the ocean. Only through education and awareness can we change attitudes and gain support from gill nets and trawl boat fishermen to help sea turtles who are an integral part of India’s wildlife heritage. Rehabilitating injured turtles calls for more volunteers, if you wish to assist in their rehabilitation or to contribute towards their care and medical requirements contact: 94443 06411, 99400 26460 or email treerootsandshoots@gmail.com