In January, over 1,100 olive ridley sea turtles were found dead on Tamil Nadu’s beaches, primarily near Chennai. This mass stranding is unprecedented and has sparked concern among ecologists and residents. Olive ridley turtles typically nest in small numbers along these shores, making the sudden influx of dead turtles alarming. Preliminary necropsies suggest suffocation as a likely cause of death. Factors such as net fishing may have contributed to this event, although their exact origin is still unclear, with the community and authorities actively responding to this environmental crisis.
Kuppusamy Sivakumar, an ecology professor, remarked on the unprecedented event of over 1,100 olive ridley turtles washing ashore, noting, 'I never heard of such large numbers of turtles stranded at any beaches of Tamil Nadu at least in the last three decades.'
Rajiv Rai, a Chennai resident, expressed concern about the situation stating, 'I spotted about 80 dead turtles on a 2km stretch of beach near my home,' highlighting the alarming scale of the deaths.
Environmental activist Yuvan Aves noted, 'An initial necropsy revealed lung lesions; many dead turtles had bulging eyes, indicating they likely suffocated and drowned,' emphasizing the potential causes of the deaths.
Ecology expert Sivakumar speculated, 'If there was net fishing in the area, the turtles might have become entangled and drowned, but it’s unclear if they were caught near Chennai or further away,' underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the circumstances.
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