Life in captivity

After years of efforts, scientists have succeeded in breeding one of the most critically endangered species of turtles in captivity.

Travel mystery of a turtle

THE number of loggerheads, the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, is declining in its most important nesting site. Marine scientists at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Florida say the turtle’s nests at the site have declined by 16 per cent between 1998 and 2011 (see graph). This is baffling as the numbers of other turtle species like the leatherback and the green turtle are on the rise at the refuge.

Lives of others

BEYOND USUAL SUSPECTS A case for neglected species in wildlife research and conservation For most of us wildlife is represented by large mammals like elephant, rhino, lion and tiger, may be birds like hornbill, raptors, peafowl and waterfowl and awe inspiring reptiles like marine turtles, crocodiles, python and king cobra. The fact is that wildlife ranges from very small insects to gigantic trees and from coral polyps to whales. Unfortunately, only a very small number of species have received attention of researchers and conservationists. While charismatic species largely drive the conservation scenario, they also seem to be the focus of wildlife research mainly because of the availability of funds and the role of charismatic species in setting our wildlife policies.

Right of way

Olive Ridley turtles missed their annual nesting trip to the Orissa coast last year. Conservation groups blamed the upcoming port at Dhamra. The turtles are back this year, and port proponents Tata and L&T claim vindication. They overlook the violations that have allowed the port at Dhamra in the first place

Trade truce

the choice of venue was clever and the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center added to the security paranoia. The result was that it combined to give trade negotiators somewhat of a breather when they met in Doha, Qatar, for the fourth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (wto). The massive street protests that marked the Seattle round were non-existent at the Doha ministerial.

Turning turtle

Thousands of Olive Ridleys, an endangered species of sea turtles, are being swept up dead on the Gahirmatha coast since the beginning of the year. This has set alarm bells ringing in the environment community and experts the world over have voiced concern over the issue.

Science and Technology - Briefs

ECOLOGY Nesting demystified

POSCO clearance illegal: activists

The Union environment ministry has illegally given final clearance to the POSCO steel project on the basis of false claims made by the Odisha government, a group of activists said on Wednesday and demanded revocation of the clearance.

POSCO gets final approval

The environment ministry on Monday gave final approval to the Odisha government to divert 1,253 hectares (ha) of forestland for the POSCO steel project in Jagatsinghpur district.

Nowhere to nest

On February 26, as night fell on the tranquil Gahirmatha beach in Odisha, thousands of Olive Ridley turtles crawled in. Using their rear flippers, they dug pits in the soft beach sand and started laying eggs, more than 100 at a time. Then they skilfully covered the nests with sand and zigzagged their way back to the ocean as if to confuse predators about the exact location of the nests.