THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 28 March 11 On a rescue mission (R. Nivedhitha - The writer is a Std. IX student of T.I. M.H.S.S., Ambattur)

[Photo at URL below]: Seeing the turtle in distress there was only one thing to do…rescue it!

One day my teacher told me that the Tree Foundation had organised a turtle walk for the members of the school Nature Club. We were introduced to the members of the Tree Foundation. This Foundation has been conserving turtles since 2002. They gave us a lot of information about their organisation as well as Olive Ridleys.

We got a chance to meet Karuna— an Olive Ridley that they had rescued. We watched a documentary on Olive Ridleys titled “Ambassadors of the ocean”. This film emphasized the role of sea turtles in the ecological balance and the initiatives taken by the Tree Foundation to conserve them. The film had a great influence on me

One night, I found a turtle being chased by dogs on my street. The first thought that came to my mind was to save the turtle. My father rushed into the house and got a bucket of water while my mother and I chased the dogs away.

We brought the turtle home. But neither my parents nor I knew how to take care of it. I called Dr. Supraja Dharini, but she was on her way to an important meeting. But she gave me some advice on how to take care of the turtle.

The turtle was an Indian flap-shelled turtle — Lissemys punctata — found in South and Eastern India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It has a plain black carapace of about 10-15 inches in length and a small, cute snout.

I had the turtle with me for almost a week. Mr. Sabanatesan, a member of the Foundation collected it. It is now safe in the rehabilitation tank and will be released in the wetlands near Marakanam.

It was such a joyous experience and I was able to overcome the superstitions of bringing home a turtle. My parents, Tree Foundation and my teacher and nature club co-ordinator were very supportive.
On a rescue mission

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