"Turtle Turning" - an original art on Olive Ridley Turtles
This is the story of Olive Ridley Turtles, carved on a slab of wood that I’ve had since 2019. Olive Ridley turtles are fascinating and also ‘Vulnerable’, according to IUCN.
1000s of eggs lay in one mass nesting site. Slowly hatchlings break shell and crawl up the sand. There are no parents around. Hatchlings are bestowed with a sack of stored nutrients that lasts for 2-3 days, enough for them to navigate towards sea water.
Some baby Olive Ridley turtles fall prey to nearby birds like crows, or seagulls, some to dehydration. Hatchlings also look for brightest horizon lights to find sea but some also never make it due to the coastal city lights taking them to the shore.
At this point, only 1 in 1000 survive and carry on through adulthood, traveling thousands of kilometer of ocean traversing natural predators and human made threats like fishnets.
Even against all odds, I find that Olive Ridley turtle are resilient. Their survival comes in part, from large numbers i.e. mass nesting but also from their own perseverance, independence and strength. No wonder they are depicted in mythology carrying the weight of the world.
After a lifetime of solo travel, once a hatchling, now an adult turtle comes back to the same nesting spot i.e. its own place of birth, to lay their own eggs with navigational memory alone.
This piece is available to be bought. 30% of the proceeds will go to Wild Otters Organisation. Price is INR 50,000 excluding shipping. Please reach out if you'd be interested.
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