The New Year brings hope for turtle conservation in Chennai. The city’s wildlife scene has received a boost as endangered Olive Ridley turtles return to Marina Beach to lay their eggs, marking the start of the nesting season. The first eggs of the season were recently spotted along the shoreline. Scroll down to know more about this special moment!
Turtle Eggs On Chennai’s Marina Beach
The Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forests in Tamil Nadu, Supriya Sahu (@supriyasahuias) shared a special moment from Chennai’s Marina Beach on her social media. She wrote that as the nesting season begins, Olive Ridley turtles have returned to their birthplace to lay their eggs. She described this as an “extraordinary moment.”
In her post, Supriya revealed that even after spending years in the ocean, they return to the exact beaches where they were born to lay their eggs. Each turtle lays roughly 100 eggs per clutch. This makes Chennai’s beaches, stretching from Besant Nagar to Neelankarai, an important nesting site outside the major mass nesting areas in Odisha.
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Safety Measures To Protect These Eggs
The first two turtle nests of the season were found near Besant Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur beaches early on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Forest department officials quickly moved the eggs to the Besant Nagar hatchery. This protects them from predators and human disturbance until they hatch, which usually takes 45 to 60 days.
Volunteers and forest staff monitor the beaches throughout the nesting season. As per India Today, when the hatchlings emerge, they are safely released into the Bay of Bengal. These efforts help give the young turtles a better chance at survival.
Olive Ridley turtles are listed as vulnerable under India’s Wildlife Protection Act. Their return to Chennai’s coastline shows that conservation programs across the country are working. By keeping beaches clean and supporting these programs, the public can help ensure that these turtles keep coming back year after year.
What is your reaction to this extraordinary moment in Chennai’s Marina Beach? Tell us in the comments below!
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Cover Image Courtesy: X/@supriyasahuias