At Tannirbavi, Project SOS to maintain clean beaches was begun

Mangaluru: Aside from all the other attractions, the beaches in this coastal area are one of the main sources of income. Furthermore, very few people could really enjoy playing on the sand or lounging on a trash-filled beach while watching the sun set.

At Tannirbavi Beach, animal rescuer Tauseef Ahmed started “Project SOS,” which aims to involve the public in maintaining the beach’s cleanliness.

“The project targets keeping the beaches and our shorelines clean and giving the public an opportunity to be part of the initiative,” he told TOI. He remarked, “The same concept has been successfully used internationally in locations like Grayton Beach, Florida; Atlantic Beach, North Carolina; Ventnor Beach, United Kingdom, and so forth.

According to Tauseef, the inspiration for this project came from the observation of olive ridley turtles in Mangaluru this year, which came about after a 30-year hiatus.

“Thousands of olive ridley turtles congregate along the coasts during the breeding season in a phenomenon known as ‘arribada,’ or arrival. Olive ridleys are an endangered species of turtle. While they may not be particularly fond of Mangaluru, turtles used to visit our beaches until the 1980s, at which point they ceased. This year, surprisingly, a lot of eggs were seen, especially at Tannirbavi Beach. This is encouraging since they prefer areas that are clean and free of pollution. Perhaps in recent years, efforts to clean beaches have had dividends. Hopefully, this little effort of ours will allow members of the public and animal lovers alike to participate in this, he added.

Tauseef encouraged beachgoers to bring a basket, gather trash along the shore, and fill the larger baskets with it to help maintain the cleanliness of the beaches and turtles’ habitats. “It’s even more important to save these beautiful animals because, according to studies, only one hatchling out of every thousand makes it to adulthood in Olive Ridleys,” he said, noting that so far, the response from people who have picked up baskets and collected trash has been positive.

Yojaka is in favor of the initiative. “I have been placing the baskets for two weeks now, and I am receiving positive messages from the people,” Tauseef said.