Karachi:
The 2025-26 reproductive season for green sea turtles has officially started, and it already makes waves! In a comforting show, the Sindh fauna department released 104 baby turtles in the Oman Sea last night, marking the start of their incredible trip in nature.
Each year, from mid -August to the end of February, female green turtles arrive on the beaches of Karachi – in particular Hawke and Sandspit bay to lay their eggs. According to Ashfaq Ali Memon, chief of the sea turtles division, more than 5,500 eggs have already been carefully placed in protected nests this season.
But this story carries a sweetness-bitter nuance. Only two decades ago, seven species of sea turtles were found along the coasts of Sindh and Balutchistan. Today, there are only two left. Among the missing, the Ridley Turtle Olive, which has not been spotted alive on the banks of Karachi since 2010, but unfortunately, some have been lifeless.
Experts are deeply concerned about environmental and human -pollution factors, commercial activity and recreational disturbances – which have removed these majestic creatures. Why the abandoned Ridley Ridley Sandspit remains a mystery that continues to reprimand marine biologists.
However, hope sparkles in the sand. The female green turtles continue to visit not only the Karachi sand point and paradise, but also the coastal jewels of Balutchistan like Jiwani, Gwadar, Ormara, Pasni, Dheeran, the French beach, the village of Mubarak, Cape Monze and the island of Churna.
The nesting ritual is a marvel of nature. Under the cover of the night, the female turtle selects a place, uses its posterior fins to bury in the sand and digs a nest about 3 to 3.5 feet deep. Eggs incubate for 45 to 60 days before the emergence of newborns and rush to the sea.
This seven -month cycle from August to February – is a testimony to resilience, survival and magic of life on the coasts of Pakistan.
