Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit Two Chapter 2.2 A True Story of Sea Turtles PDF Download

A True Story of Sea Turtles

Warming Up!

It is our world, too!

1. Observe the following photographs. What is common among all these animals? They are all endangered species. They are likely to die out completely, one of the reasons being human activity in their habitat. If these animals could think and speak like humans, what would they say?

2. Hold a classroom discussion on the following topics and later on, expand the themes on your own. (10-15 lines)

Why human beings need to use more and more natural resources.

Should we conserve only the most beautiful and most useful things in nature?

What is 'beautiful' or 'useful'? Who has the right to decide that?

Form groups of 5-8. Prepare short autobiographical speeches for each of these animals (10-15 lines). Use the following points:

How the animal lives - It's the only way he/she can.

How he interacts with nature and other animals

How humans interact with that species - whether it is fair, necessary or desirable, etc.

The possible ill effects of the way human beings treat the animals, for the whole living world

The animal getting ready to bid farewell to this world

Teacher's Note

Many animals in India are dying because humans take their forests and homes. We must teach children to respect all living things like tigers, elephants, and turtles.

Exam Trick

Remember: Endangered = in danger of dying out forever. Just like how our forests are becoming smaller, these animals have fewer and fewer places to live.

Points to Remember

Endangered species are animals that may die out completely soon.
Human activity is one big reason why animals are dying out.
We need to decide what is truly beautiful and useful in nature, not just humans.
All animals play important roles in our world.

A True Story of Sea Turtles

We were surveying the white bellied sea-eagles in the summer that year. As we roamed the coasts, one of the volunteers in our team saw some shallow pits with white egg shells nearby. Enquiries with the villagers revealed that they were turtle eggs. This came as a surprise. We had never come across turtle eggs in our walks along the beaches of Konkan in all these years. We decided to study this unusual occurrence further. We learnt that the beach where we had found the egg shells had been sealed to the public for nearly one month, after people smuggling silver bricks were caught in that area. But what we learnt further shocked us to the core.

Turtles nest along the entire coastline of our State. There are a few people in every village who keep combing the beach in the early hours of the morning, throughout the year. When the female turtle comes on shore to nest and to lay eggs, she leaves behind a trail just like a track of wheels on the sand. The egg hunters follow this trail right up to the nest which is about half a metre deep. They dig up the nest, and steal all the 100-150 eggs that are laid inside. These eggs are then either eaten or are sold in the market. If a turtle is spotted while it is still laying eggs, it is allowed to live till the laying is over. As soon as the eggs are laid, it is caught, and then killed and eaten. This ruthless practice is observed in all parts of the world. However, in India, sea turtles have been given protection by including them under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. That means turtles have been given as much protection as tigers. Therefore, all this business of gathering turtle eggs and killing turtles is carried on in a secret, hush-hush manner. This information was distressing. We began to think seriously about it. We decided to undertake a project for the protection and conservation of turtles and their nests in Maharashtra.

Teacher's Note

In India, people used to steal turtle eggs from beaches and sell them. The government made a law to protect turtles like they protect tigers, but many people still break this law secretly.

Exam Trick

Remember: Schedule I = highest protection level. Sea turtles get the same protection as tigers in India. This means killing turtles is a very serious crime.

Points to Remember

Female turtles come to shore to lay 100-150 eggs in nests.
Egg hunters follow turtle trails and steal all the eggs.
Turtles are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Breaking this law is done secretly because the punishment is very strict.

We had no experience regarding sea-turtles, so first of all we undertook a study of turtles. We contacted institutes that work for the protection of turtles in India. The next step was launching a Turtle Protection Campaign at Velas, Taluka Mandangad, District Ratnagiri. This was done with the support and co-operation of the Forest Department. As part of the campaign, a few local people were specially appointed to look for turtle nests on the beach in the morning. When they came across a nest, they had to carefully remove the eggs from the nest, and bury them again in a similar pit, but one protected with wire fencing. They had to watch over the protected nest to prevent thefts. In the first year, we could successfully protect 50 nests in this manner. When the babies hatched out of the eggs, what an event that was! The whole village rushed to the beach to witness the spectacle. When the tiny turtle hatchlings hurried across the silver sands to meet the rolling boundless sea, what an ovation they received from the onlookers! Some of the elderly villagers confessed that though they had seen (and stolen) turtle eggs right from their school days, it was for the first time that they had seen the hatchlings rushing to the sea.

There are seven types of sea turtles in the world, five of which are found in India. The Olive Ridley turtles nest along the entire coastline of Maharashtra. Green turtles and Hawksbills have also been found. An amazing characteristic of turtles is that when the female turtle reaches maturity, that is, nearly after a gap of 15 years, she returns to the shore to lay her eggs at the same place where she was born. The female comes on shore, just to make a nest in the sand and lay her eggs, and immediately returns to the sea. She does not return to the nest after that. The eggs hatch after a period of 45 to 50 days, using natural heat. Innumerable dangers await the little hatchlings in the deep sea, and they have to face them all on their own. Their survival rate is therefore as low as just one or two turtles out of a thousand. Turtles perform an important function - they keep the sea clean. Thus, they occupy an important place in marine ecology. Considering all these factors, it is vital to undertake their protection on a large scale.

Teacher's Note

In Velas village in Maharashtra, people protected 50 turtle nests in the first year. When baby turtles hatched and ran to the sea, even old villagers who had stolen eggs felt happy and changed their minds about protecting turtles.

Exam Trick

Remember: Female turtles come back to the same beach after 15 years to lay eggs where they were born. Only 1 or 2 baby turtles out of 1000 survive - that is why protection is so important.

Points to Remember

Five types of sea turtles are found in India, including Olive Ridley, Green turtles, and Hawksbills.
Female turtles return to their birthplace after 15 years to lay eggs.
Baby turtles hatch in 45 to 50 days and must survive alone in the sea.
Only 1 or 2 baby turtles out of 1000 survive to become adults.
Turtles keep the sea clean and are very important for ocean life.

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