State of the World from NPR Looking Back: Turtles in India Making a Comeback
Jan 1, 2026
Dia Hadid, an intrepid journalist based in India, shares her inspiring story about the olive ridley turtle's remarkable comeback. She highlights the unique Veles Turtle Festival, where enthusiastic tourists cheer the hatchlings as they make their first journey to the ocean. Hadid discusses vital local conservation efforts, including community bans on seaside development, and how mapping work by Satesh Bhaskar has informed these initiatives. With a reported million nests in one state, there's a bright future for these turtles and the hope for more eco-conscious tourists.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Hatchery Rescue Becomes Festival
- Dia Hadid describes volunteers moving olive ridley eggs into a hatchery to protect them from predators and then releasing hatchlings to the sea.
- The Veles Turtle Festival turned those releases into a tourism event that funds local conservation efforts.
Local Festival Incentivizes Protection
- Mohan Upadhyay created the Veles Turtle Festival to incentivize villagers to protect nesting beaches by bringing tourists and income.
- He persuaded locals to ban seaside construction so returning females would find safe nesting sites.
Nesting Site Protection Is Crucial
- Protecting nesting beaches matters because female olive ridleys often return to the same site to lay eggs, sustaining local populations.
- Mapping and community protection efforts across India helped avert a predicted collapse in numbers.