Footage shows hundreds of olive ridley sea turtles marching into the sea and saying goodbye to their fond caretakers in Sirkazhi, India on February 28.

Olive ridley sea turtles started arriving in the coastal delta of South India last November.

They laid eggs on the shores and the hatchlings have been released since January.

It takes about 42 to 70 days for the eggs to hatch.

The turtles are classified as "endangered species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Sirkazhi Forest Range, every year, leads in egg collection in the state with around 31,782 eggs in 288 nests in three hatcheries.

Of them, 1,423 eggs have been hatched so far and were released into the sea. This particular sirkazhi range leads the state in egg collection in the release of hatchlings. They expect another 10,000 eggs.

Sirkazhi Forest Range has received 8,215 eggs in 70 nests in three hatcheries. Among them, 588 eggs have hatched so far and the hatchlings were released.

According to the department, around 5,463 eggs were collected in 52 nests in the Arukatuthurai hatchery and 5,158 eggs were collected in 50 batches at Kodiyakarai hatchery. These are expected to hatch in another two weeks.

Soil temperature in nesting areas determines the gender of males and females in turtles.

Location : Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Tamilnadu India...


Olive Ridley Turtles started arriving in the coastal delta of South India last November. They lay eggs on the shores and the hatchlings are being released since January. It takes about 42 to 70 days for the eggs to hatch.

The turtles are classified as "Endangered Species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Sirkazhi Forest Range, every year, leads in egg collection in the state with around 31,782 eggs in 288 nests in three hatcheries.

Of them, 1,423 eggs have been hatched so far and were released into the sea. This particluar sirkazhi range leads the state in egg collection in the release of hatchlings. We expect another 10,000 eggs.

Sirkazhi Forest Range has received 8,215 eggs in 70 nests in three hatcheries. Among them, 588 eggs have hatched so far and the hatchlings were released.

According to the department, around 5463 eggs were collected in 52 nests in the Arukatuthurai hatchery and 5158 eggs were collected in 50 batches at Kodiyakarai hatchery. These are expected to hatch in another two weeks.

soil temperature in nesting areas determines the gender of males and females in turtles: turtles are born male if the soil temperature in the nesting area is less than 28%, and they are born female if the temperature is above 31%.

The little munchkins marched to the sea saying bye to the fondly care takers.