NT Reporter
Mapusa
Olive Ridley sea turtles have laid around 112 eggs on Vagator Beach, which were shifted by forest officials to the turtle nesting site at Morjim, where they are protected. This is the fifth year in a row that turtles have visited Vagator beach to lay eggs.
Chairman of the Anjuna-Caisua Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC), Ramesh Naik, who has been demanding that Vagator be declared a turtle nesting site, said that “for the last seven to eight days, flipper marks were seen on the beach. Forest officials have been coming every morning to inspect the beach.”
He said that on Thursday morning, flipper marks were noticed on the beach at three locations. “In two places it was noted that turtles had returned, while in one place turtle eggs were found, which were shifted to Morjim for conservation,” he said.
Locals said that turtles may be coming to the beach because there was no music festival and it was dark
at night.
Citing the recent incident of turtle nesting, BMC chairman Naik had written letters to various departments concerned to consider the proposal of declaring Vagator as a turtle nesting site. He also requested that authorities investigate and stop all illegal commercial activities, including the construction of structures such as shacks and restaurants, and the parking of water sports vessels on the property.
