‘Urgent need to conserve Olive Ridleys’

Guntur: Emphasising on the urgent need to conserve Olive Ridley turtles, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Dr P Mallikharjuna Rao announced massive awareness campaign for fishermen in villages across coastal AP.
He said that protection of sea turtle has become very difficult because of the false belief among certain people that eating turtle is good for health.He discussed the issue of taking up conservation activities to increase the sea turtle population with the representatives of an NGO, Tree Foundation, here on Friday.
Rao said sea turtle is the only ecologically sensitive mammal that comes to the AP coast. He said they have been finding only one turtle alive though they had released a 1,000 into the sea. Rao said they will launch an awareness programme for all fishermen shortly, and continue it till May. TNN