Chennai, Jan 11 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu forest workers have collected 2,000 eggs of Olive Ridley sea turtles from Myladuthurai and Nagapattinam districts of the state which have been preserved in hatcheries.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had declared Olive Ridley turtles as a vulnerable species. The international conservation body has also said that there was a high mortality rate for this species due to human intervention.

According to Tamil Nadu forest officials,1,500 eggs were collected in the Sirkazhi range, 200 in the Nagapattinam range and 600 in the Vedaranyam range.

Forest officials told IANS that the Olive Ridley turtles have arrived on the shore a little late and attributed this to rough sea conditions.

The officials also said that more seasonal watchers will be employed to collect and preserve the eggs in hatcheries.

R.Velusamy, environmental activist and coordinator, Environment watch, an NGO based out of Mayiladuthurai told IANS, “The state of Tamil Nadu has been sincerely supporting the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles and we are spreading awareness among the people of the state on the necessity to conserve this vulnerable species.”