NDTV.com Environment
Greenpeace seeks to save Ridely turtles http://www.ndtv.com/environment/Wildlife.asp?id=83840&callid=1 Sampad Mahapatra Wednesday, January 18, 2006 (Gahirmatha Sanctuary): Greenpeace has begun work to mark Gahirmatha Marine sanctuary off the coast of Orissa to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles found there. The area, which is a 35 km long no-entry zone for fishermen is being marked with buoys so that they do not stray into it. "For now, we have dropped only one buoy, but our aim is to physically demarcate the whole of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary over the next 7-10 days," said Sanjeev Prakash of Greenpeace. Save turtles Greenpeace has involved local fishermen in the effort - many of them face arrest and seizure of their boats for accidentally entering the sanctuary every year. "This will help fishermen know that this is a sanctuary. The fishermen had no way of knowing about the sanctuary and would enter it. Forest officials then would seize their nets and boats," said Jeevan Lal, a fisherman. Greenpeace also hopes to prevent turtle deaths by keeping trawlers out of sanctuary limits. "We want to save these turtles. They are a symbol of sea life. They are, after all, living creatures like us. If these animals and human beings could co-exist in harmony, it would be great for the future," said Amla, actress and animal rights activist. Little affect There is concern that Greenpeace's effort will have little effect on large trawlers operating in the area. The trawlers enter the sanctuary willfully resulting in fights with forest patrol units. Secondly, 90 per cent of the turtles get killed between Paradeep and Devi river mouth in the south. Greenpeace teams will now have to turn their attention to that zone to make their four-month stay along the Orissa coast meaningful. __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com
