In nature, mass migration is a powerful phenomenon. Whether it is the Great Migration of over a million wildebeest in the Serengeti, their thundering hooves cutting through grasslands and rivers, or the journey of the Monarch butterfly across North America, taking to the skies, flying over hundreds of miles, nature is filled with such wonderful migration sites, where animals, by some instinct, move in large numbers. Often, these migrations make it to travel bucket lists, with witnessing mass animal migration a top event on the itinerary.
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What makes these even more fascinating and surreal is that this instinct to move begins right from birth. So is the case with the Oliver ridley sea turtle. From the moment they hatch from eggs laid along the coast, the tiny turtles instinctively begin their journey toward the sea.
Bollywood actor Zeenat Aman, in her latest post on March 23, brought attention to this phenomenon, calling it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ that was so poignant it moved her to write about it in depth. She shared a vivid description of how she stumbled upon these tiny turtles in Goa, highlighting how these newborns, despite having very low odds of survival, begin fighting for their lives from the very moment they are born.
Mass hatching of olive Ridley turtles
The actor was so moved by the view of the little turtles waddling towards the sea that she had to pen her thoughts. She wrote, “I don’t really expect to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences anymore. Then I witnessed a sight so poignant I am in tears just writing about it.”
She described how the members of the Goa forest department helped the hatchlings to make their way to the sea. Despite the very low survival rate, 1 in 1000, the newborns pushed forward, guided by instinct. The actor felt a deep sense of compassion for nature and reflected on the small yet significant scale of the hatchlings’ struggle.
Zeenat also acknowledged that, amid human suffering and an exponentially volatile world, the challenges faced by these tiny creatures may seem minuscule. However, she emphasised that they still matter, emphasising that moments of empathy for nature help preserve our humanity, and in turn, reduce acts of violence.
The actor wrote in the caption, “Is it frivolous to lament the challenges faced by baby turtles, when bombs are daily exploded in the faces of children on the instructions of power-crazed men? I think not. By feeling our intrinsic connection to the natural world, the compassion and wonder it evokes, maybe we can hold on to the ‘humanity’ that seems to be slipping away from our societies.”
Urges for ecological protection
Even with odds as low as 1 in 1000, the hatchlings push forward. The actor noted that those who do survive into adulthood must then face threats like fishing nets, pollution, eroding beaches and damaged ecosystems. She went on to urge Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant to address the ecological destruction of Goa on priority. Without any urgent intervention, Goa is at risk of losing its precious biodiversity.
