Olive Ridley turtle conservation has received a shot in the arm with the NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station coming forward to take up a major drive in collaboration with the Forest Department by granting Rs. 4.6 crore.

The turtles, which are known for their migratory route to the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts for laying eggs and nesting, are facing the threat of extinction for a variety of reasons — poaching, becoming prey to dogs, ocean pollution, and getting killed by trawlers due to non-use of turtle excluder devices.

Olive Ridley turtles are listed in Schedule I under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (amended in 1991). They also find a place in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

After signing MoU with Principal Chief Conservator of Forests S.B.L. Mishra and handing him over a cheque for Rs.1 crore in Hyderabad, NTPC Simhadri Group General Manager P.K. Bondriya told The Hindu that this was for the first time a corporate had come forward to launch turtle conservation campaign in a big way all along the 972-km coastline spreading over nine districts of Andhra Pradesh.

With the help of forest officials and conservation activists, hatchlings would be released into their habitat at an appropriate time.

Mr. Bondriya said that they would identify nesting and breeding habitats of the turtles and try to bring down mortality rate drastically within a span of five years by adopting a multi-pronged strategy.

The turtles, which feed on crustaceans and molluscs, dive to great depths and travel thousands of miles between foraging and nesting grounds.

Bhitarkanika in Odisha is known as the largest nesting ground in the world.

Every year during February-March the area attracts over 1.5 lakh female turtles for mass nesting. Each turtle can lay up to 100-140 eggs.

Founder of Nature, an NGO, S. Balaraju, welcomed the initiative of the NTPC Simhadri. For maintaining the flora and fauna, it is necessary to increase the population of the turtles, he said.