Bumper crop of baby turtles

An estimated 150,000 baby turtles are hatched on the shores of the Rishikulya beach in India's eastern Orissa state.

The stretch of beach is a favourite nesting ground for this particular breed of turtle - the Olive Ridley.

However, hatching is often fraught with danger. Many turtles die from suffocation under the sand or from being eaten by other animals. And if they do reach the sea they can often be killed by boat propellers, pollution or poachers, who hunt them for their meat. According to studies, only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings reach adulthood.

More recently though, conservationists have set up schemes to help safely deliver the babies to the sea.




Source: Reuters