Turtle Festival in Great Nicobar Raises Concerns over Conservation Methods and BJP Government’s Intent

On March 13, the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department organised a first-of-its-kind “turtle festival” in Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Island, according to the Andaman Chronicle. During the festival, 40 newly hatched giant leatherback turtles and 200 olive ridley turtles were reportedly released at B-Quarry beach with the participation of school students.

These hatchlings came from hatcheries managed by the Forest Department as part of conservation efforts. Hatcheries are small, protected enclosures designed to safeguard turtle eggs from predators such as feral dogs and human poachers.

Conservation guidelines specify that hatchlings must be released at their natal beach—the same beach where the eggs were originally laid. Releases are ideally conducted at night to protect hatchlings from exposure to bright sunlight and hot sand.

Turtles imprint on their natal beaches as hatchlings and return there as adults to lay eggs. Research underscores this fact. “Crawling across the beach is believed to be crucial for hatchlings, as it allows them to imprint on their natal beach and return to the area when they are ready to reproduce, known as nesting beach fidelity,” noted a study by researchers from FLAME University, Pune.

However, during the Campbell Bay “turtle festival”, hatchlings were released at B-Quarry Beach, a location where neither giant leatherbacks nor olive ridleys nor any other turtle species lay eggs. Furthermore, B-Quarry Beach has experienced high erosion over the last few years, and at high tide, the beach often disappears entirely.

“In general, hatchling releases with the public are very beneficial, as they give people, especially children, a chance to connect with a wild animal and think about its ecology and the wellbeing of the larger ecosystem in which it lives. Typically, though, hatchlings should be released at the beaches where they were born and at night, as soon as the entire nest emerges,” said Kartik Shanker, a researcher who has worked on turtle conservation.

This reporter, who has visited B-Quarry beach during nesting seasons and spoken to turtle researchers working extensively in Great Nicobar, confirmed that turtle nesting does not occur at B-Quarry beach.

In essence, the hatchlings were released neither on their natal beach nor at night, contradicting established conservation guidelines.

Dinesh Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer for the Nicobar division of the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department, declined to comment on the origin of the hatchlings.

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Moving turtle nesting sites

It is likely that some hatchlings released at B-Quarry originated from Galathea Bay, the proposed location for an Rs 81,000-crore mega project by the Union government. The project includes a transshipment terminal, an international airport, gas and solar power plants, a township, and luxury tourism facilities.

The intent behind the ‘turtle festival’ seems to be translocation, i.e., redirecting hatchlings from Galathea Bay to other beaches, aiming to shift future nesting sites and thus prevent conflict with the mega project development.

Several other researchers contacted by this reporter were hesitant to comment on the issue. They expressed hesitation to speak on record, saying that they fear potential governmental backlash that could affect their research permits, funding, and visa renewals.

A researcher from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous organisation under the Union Environment Ministry, was present during the release at B-Quarry. WII facilitated the de-notification of the Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in January 2021 to enable the development of the mega project. The researcher did not respond to queries regarding the hatchlings’ origin or WII’s involvement in the event.

Relocating turtle nesting sites is challenging considering that turtle populations have certain biological nesting patterns that have been cemented over thousands of years. The selection of nesting beaches also depends on ecological factors, such as sand grain size and beach slope. The giant leatherback turtle, weighing about 700 kg, requires beaches with gradual slopes, as steep inclines hinder their movement. So, it remains to be seen how successful such exercises are that aim to translocate turtle populations.

“Is this being done as a planned scientific experiment? Are all released hatchlings tagged in some way so as to monitor if they will come back as adults to the release beach location maybe 25 years later?” asked B.C. Choudhury, a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Marine Turtle Specialist Group.

The Nicobar division of the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department plans to organise more such festivals at various beaches across Great Nicobar Island but seems reluctant to answer questions about the events.

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Removal of turtle hatchery

For years, the Forest Department maintained hatcheries across Great Nicobar Island, including Galathea Bay. Since 2023, the department started categorising turtle numbers in Galathea into two groups: “Galathea 1” on the eastern flank of the Galathea River and “Galathea 2” on the western flank. Recently, the department removed the hatchery at “Galathea 1”, likely due to the upcoming mega project.

The Nicobar Division of the Forest Department did not respond to questions regarding the removal of the hatchery from the eastern flank.

The planned transshipment terminal will be situated precisely where the ‘Galathea 1’ hatchery previously existed.

Rishika Pardikar is an environment reporter based in Bengaluru who covers science, law, and policy.