Watch: Tamil Nadu Fishermen Release Olive Ridley Turtles That Got Caught In Nets

A heartening video that shows community effort when it comes to wildlife rescue is winning over the internet. On Sunday, IAS officer Supriya Sahu shared a video that showed a group of fishermen releasing Olive Ridley turtles back into the sea after they were accidentally caught in the net while fishing. The fishermen were able to release the turtles safely as they followed advice from a volunteer from Kadal Osai community radio. While sharing this video, Sahu wrote, “Another rescue of Ten Olive Ridley turtles at Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu by fishermen. A volunteer from the local community from ‘Kadal Osai’ the Community Radio is guiding how to safely handle and release turtles. We are planning to expand the training and capacity building programme in 35 local villages under the TN coastal restoration Mission.”

The video was credited to Indian Forest Service officer Jagdish S Bakan. In response to Sahu’s post, Bakan highlighted the need to handle wild animals correctly and wrote, “Following Proper SoP for rescue is crucial for the survival of rescued animals. We have started workshops for fishermen to spread the SoP for better rescue. Kadal Osai-a community Radio is helping us in connecting to fisher folk.”

Commenting on the above-mentioned video, an X user wrote, “Yes ma’am. The volunteer is telling them to hold the turtles by the shell and not the soft front legs in order to release them.” Another person said, “Thank you very much for highlighting the role of Kadalosai community radio in your tweet.”

An X user commented, “It is the duty of humans to save creatures on the verge of extinction as we have lost so many rare species of fauna. The combined work of government and NGOs is an initiative in the right direction in saving olive ridleys.”

Previously, on February 11, Sahu shared a video that showed local fishermen releasing three dolphins back into the sea, after they noticed that the dolphins were caught in their nets.

Sahu wrote, “Local fishermen and Tamil Nadu Foresters safely rescued and released 3 Dolphins accidentally caught in fishing nets at Kakaladi in the Ramanathapuram District. Kudos to them. They will be honoured by the District Administration.”