Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
<p><strong>Olive Ridley Sea Turtles:</strong> <em>“In January 2022, on one of my field visits to document olive Ridley sea turtles, I began to better understand the catch-22 situation of Darwinian survival. The fishermen in the poverty-stricken coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh usually lay their fishing nets in the Bay of Bengal, hoping for their prized catch. The olive Ridleys often end up in nets as bycatch, owing to their size. This jeopardises the existence of this already vulnerable species. However, I was elated later to see this turtle gently released into the sea by the fishermen. Raising awareness to safely rescue and release turtles, and supporting local communities can certainly help in marine turtle conservation without impacting the fishing community’s livelihoods.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Sushmitha Reddy</strong> is a visual storyteller who seeks to make a difference in environmental conservation through her images. She aims to shine a light on the most inspiring human-animal interactions for a better tomorrow.</p>
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