Baby Sea Turtles Spotted on Mumbai Beach for the First Time in 20 Years
Though conservationists are celebrating the apparent success, the creatures may not be as rare as once believed
By Jason Daley
smithsonian.com
March 29, 2018
Late last week, officials in Mumbai, India, announced that for the first time in 20 years sea turtles have successfully nested on one of the city’s beaches, reports Agence France-Presse. Witnesses say roughly 80 tiny olive ridley sea turtles climbed out of their nest on Versova Beach and begin stumbling toward the sea.
The nesting comes after three years of cleanup on the highly polluted beach by a group of volunteers led by lawyer and environmental activist Afroz Shah. Shah tells Darryl D’Monte at Mongabay that the mother turtle was seen laying her eggs in the area two months ago. The cleanup group and fenugreek growers on the beach then kept watch. At 9 A.M. local time last Thursday, a volunteer witnessed the turtles hatching. Shah and his group visited the site and protected the turtles as they headed for the water. They kept the hatch secret until afterwards to keep the tiny reptiles safe.
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-sea-turtles-20-years-born-mumbai-beach-180968622/#ckLXP10Wwsfsfiy0.99
