Google identifies Kasarkod Tonka foot road as Olive Ridley turtle road

Hubballi: Local fishermen and environment activists at Kasarkod Tonka in Honnavar taluk are rejoicing as Google has identified a foot road near their settlement as ‘Olive Ridley Turtle Road’ and the sandy beach next to it as a conservation area.

They say this move can lead to better conservation and protection in the future.

The 1.4 km-long mud road has been in dispute for the last five years after a private port company sought the court’s direction to declare it a port road and allow them to widen it to a four-lane and asphalt it, as it leads to a proposed private port.

However, the locals have been contesting that the area records one of the highest nestings of the Olive Ridley sea turtle -  a critically endangered animal protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 - in Karnataka. 

The locals claim that visitors and scientists, who have been visiting this place for the last year during the nesting season (December to April), have been tagging the area as a conservation area.

“Over the last couple of years, many visitors and scientists have visited the site and are getting first-hand information about turtles. Many click pictures and tag the area as a nesting site. Based on these recordings, Google may have recognised the area as a conservation site,” marine biologist and activist Prakash Mesta said.

He said this could help further the case for protection, as people who search Google for Olive Riddle turtles would be directed to Kasarkod Tonka.