Orissa seeks halt to missile tests during turtle nesting season

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa will seek a halt to missile testing from a launch base in Bhadrak district on the state's coast during the nesting period of
endangered Olive Ridley turtles, a state wildlife official said Monday.

Expressing his displeasure over the test of Agni-III missile Sunday from a launch base at the Inner Wheeler Island at Dhamra - close to a mass nesting site - P.N. Padhi, the principal chief conservator of forest (wild life), said: "The testing should have been avoided."

The launch site is about 200 km from here.

The island is close to Gahirmath marine sanctuary where 700,000-800,000 endangered Olive Ridley turtles nest every winter.

The turtles arrive and congregate in the shallow coastal waters in October and nest between December and March. Most hatchlings emerge by May.

The state government had requested the central government not to conduct missile tests from November to April.

"We are worried they did it despite our request," Padhi said.

"Now mass mating in the water is already over. Sporadic nesting has been reported. The turtles may start mass nesting any time. This is a delicate time," he said.

The state government will write to the union ministry of environment to issue instructions to the defence ministry to defer any more tests in the near future, he said.

Noted environmentalist late Bankabihari Das in 1998 had drawn the attention of the then chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and urged him not to test any missiles at the island during the turtle season.

Kalam had responded immediately, assuring that there will be no tests during the season.

"But now the DRDO officials have been ignoring Kalam's advice and testing missiles," wild life expert Biswajit Mohanty told IANS.

"The missile test causes vibration on the ground. The eggs would be affected. Turtles would be disturbed by the sound," he said.

A defence official said DRDO has been keeping their high power illuminating lights off during the turtle nesting season but Mohanty said the step is not enough.

Link - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/5549309.cms

This is a good move by the government. But then again, major issues such as illegal trawling, non usage of Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs), upcoming ports etc still loom a dark thundercloud over the Ridleys...

Hope the govt makes some good moves in this regard soon.
Amen.

A good move by the Govt.
Agree with Bibhav though. There are many more problems which have already been playing havoc with the ridleys for quite some time now. I think the govt is trying its best though. It has provided TEDs to the fishermen, but they are refusing to use them as they will have to sacrifice about 5% of their catch. Wonder how much more the govt can do. Hope the ridleys can be saved...