Six endangered turtles found dead in Karwar, Honnavar beaches
Karwar: The plastic menace continues to threaten aquatic creatures, as an alarming increase in sea turtle deaths has been reported along Karnataka's coast. Over the past month, the carcasses of five critically endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (ORST) and one green turtle have been found washed ashore at Honnavar and Karwar. This year alone, Uttara Kannada district has reported at least 24 turtle deaths.
The remains of a green turtle and an ORST were found on the shores of Honnavar and highly decomposed ORST carcasses were seen on Karwar beach last week, as reported by Deccan Herald. Additionally, a hawksbill sea turtle carcass was reported in Karwar two months ago.
Forest department officials and marine experts have struggled to determine the exact causes of these deaths due to the high decomposition. However, previous postmortem reports have indicated that common causes of turtle deaths include ingestion of plastic or gunny bags, injuries from deep-sea fishing boat propellers, entanglement in fishing nets, and pulmonary infections.
Ravishankar, Karwar Deputy Conservator of Forests, noted that nearly all of the 24 turtle deaths this year, except for six reported this month, were caused by external factors, as reported by DH. To address the issue, the forest department is conducting workshops and reorientation programs for fishermen on how to handle and release turtles caught in nets. Ravishankar pointed out that while turtles are not consumed in this region, their chances of survival are significantly reduced if injured turtles are released back into the sea.
According to data from ReefWatch Marine Conservation, as cited by DH, approximately 90 percent of turtle deaths reported in Uttar Kannada district are attributed to human interventions and habitat destruction. Dr Manohar Nagre, a marine veterinarian with ReefWatch organsiation, highlighted issues such as net entanglements, plastic ingestion, blunt-force trauma, and pulmonary infections as major contributors to turtle mortality.
The beaches of Karwar and Honnavar are known for their significant numbers of ORST nesting sites. Female turtles typically arrive at these beaches every year between December and May to lay their eggs.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
