Sanctuary | People
Ancient beings wallowing in an
artifi cial tank, when the sea is only a
stone’s throw away. The irony was stark,
when along with a colleague I visited
the Injured Sea Turtle Treatment and
Transit Centre at Dahanu, located around
100 km. from Mumbai, and operated under
the aegis of the Wildlife Conservation and
Animal Welfare Association (WCAWA) and
the Maharashtra Forest Department.
When we arrived, visiting consultant
veterinarian Dr. Dinesh Vinherkar, who
was busy attending to an injured animal,
asked us to have a look around the centre.Wildlife Conservation and
Animal Welfare Association
By Anirudh Nair
Apart from the four olive Ridley turtles in
the large holding tank, there were other
species of turtles in smaller isolation tanks,
all in various stages of recuperation.
Dr. Vinherkar later informed us
that while some of these turtles were
found beached in and around Dahanu
by WCAWA’s volunteers, others were
confi scated from illegal possession or
rescued from drying ponds. Those that
get beached are usually the victims
of discarded fi shing nets, used by the
increasing number of trawlers plying
across these waters, in which they getentangled. Fishermen fi nd it easier to hack
off a turtle’s fl ippers than risk damaging
their expensive nets to untangle them
before tossing them back into the sea.
The organisation’s 100-strong volunteer
network regularly scours beaches in the
area for such turtles, which are examined
for injuries, treated and allowed to
recuperate at the centre. Before they are
released, the turtles undergo a swimming
ability test. If their mobility in the holding
tank is satisfactory, then they must prove
that they can swim in the sea. Yet, there
is no guarantee that these evolutionaryDHEERAJ NANADA/ENTRY-SWPA 2017