105 turtle eggs collected from Dhanushkodi: Wildlife official

: A total of 105 eggs of turtles was collected from the Dhanushkodi beach and shifted to a hatchery, wildlife ranger Satheeh said Monday

Speaking to reporters here, he said 130 eggs were collected from Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram district on January 11 and 216 from Tuticorin on Sunday.

"We had collected 1,071 eggs from nine nestings from Dhanushkodi last year; this year, we started the process late by one month owing to the cyclone Gaja," Satheesh said.

We're expecting to collect the same number of eggs this year as well, he added.

Turtles face many threats such as habitat loss and nest predation and from poachers. Therefore their eggs are collected, hatched in captivity before being released into the sea.