Tamil Nadu to set up first turtle conservation center at Chennai

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government has decided to set up a turtle conservation and rehabilitation center at Chennai.

An order issued by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, of environment, climate change and forest department and said the centre would rescue and offer treatment to the injured turtles and let them back into the sea.

The state government has allotted Rs 6.30 crore for the centre. 

Calling it the “state-of-the-art” Supriya Sahu said, centre, which will involve local communities, would have facilities like turtle pool, shed in addition to the medical facilities for rehabilitating rescued turtles.

She said that the State’s long coastline hosts five species of marine turtles viz. Olive Ridley, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Loggerhead turtles. Olive Ridley species mostly nest along the coast.

The centre will build an information network to curb poaching of turtles and identify turtle nesting areas on Tamilnadu Coast.

It will build an information network to curb poaching of turtles and identify turtle nesting areas on Tamil Nadu coast.

The centre will also study turtle migratory routes using conventional flipper tagging, molecular genetics- and satellite telemetry.

The Turtle Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre will have facilities like turtle pool and turtle shed, in addition to the medical facilities for the rehabilitation of rescued turtles.

The centre will act as a temporary home to sick and injured turtles before they are released back to the natural habitat.  

Last year, the State government had announced in the Assembly to establish a turtle conservation and rehabilitation centre in Chennai to boost turtle conservation efforts.