Karachi:
The breeding season 2025-26 for green sea turtles has officially begun, and it is already creating waves! In a heartwarming sight, the Sindh Wildlife Department released 104 baby turtles in the Arabian Sea last night and marked the start of their incredible journey in nature.
Every year, from mid-August to the end of February, female green turtles arrive at Karachi’s beach-ice-Især Hawke’s Bay and Sandspit-to lay their eggs. According to Ashfaq Ali Memon, head of Marine Turtle Division, over 5,500 eggs have already been carefully placed in protected nests this season.
But this story carries a bittersweet undertone. Only two decades ago, seven species of sea turtles were found along the coasts of Sindh and Balochistan. Today there are only two left. Among the missing are Olive Ridley Turtle, who has not been seen alive on Karachi’s banks since 2010 self-a few have flushed up lifeless.
Experts are deeply concerned about the environmental and human factors pollution, commercial activity and recreational disorders have driven away these majestic beings. Why Olive Ridley abandoned Sandspit remains a mystery that continues to puzzle marine biologists.
Still, Hope gleams in the sand. Female green turtles still visit not only Karachi’s sandpit and paradise point, but also the coast of Balochistan’s coasts such as Jiwani, Gwadar, Ormara, Pasni, Dheeran, French Beach, Mubarak Village, Cape Monze and Churna Island.
The hiccuping ritual is a wonder of nature. Under the front of Night, the female turtle chooses somewhere, using his back flippers to bury themselves in the sand and dig a nest approx. 3 to 3.5 feet deep. The eggs incubate for 45 to 60 days before the hatches show up and make their touch towards the sea.
This seven-month cycle from August to February is a testimony of resilience, survival and the magic of life on the banks of Pakistan.
