Vikatan | June 19, 2024
Mr. Natesan is 67 years old, always wears a green shirt, and I’ve never seen him wear footwear. For nearly 40 years, he has been diligently collecting and properly incubating sea turtle eggs and safely releasing the hatchlings into the sea. He sets out as early as 3 am, traveling 5 to 10 km to collect the eggs. He has worked with both the Forest Department and researchers studying turtles and has vast knowledge about them. Until now, I had never seen an Olive Ridley turtle, called Panguni Amai in Tamil, or its eggs and hatchlings. I eagerly awaited the next day.