Marine Turtle Newsletter 52:20-21, © 2001
Book Reviews
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Marine Turtle Newsletter 52:20-21, © 2001
The Turtle Paradise: GAHIRMATHA
(An Ecological Analysis and Conservation Strategy)
by M. C. Dash and C. S. Kar
300 pages, hardcover edition only, Rs.500 (US$ 55.00) +postage/handling
25 colour and 13 black/white photographs; 85 tables and 31 graphs
Copyright 1990; Language English; ISBN 81-85017-48
Publisher: Interprint, Mehta House, A-16, Naraina-II, New Delhi-110 028, India
THE TURTLE PARADISE around the nesting beaches of Gahirmatha in Orissa, India, was made possible by the efforts of the Governments of India and Orissa and the advice of F.A.O., leading to remarkable success in the conservation of olive ridley turtles. THE TURTLE PARADISE is a pioneering research work and makes an important contribution to the conservation of sea turtles. The worldwide and national level of awareness of the fast depletion of Wildlife on our planet has made us realize that the conservation of Wildlife is the key to the human survival itself. This realization has been the impelling factor for conducting this research work to save the olive ridley turtle from extinction in India.
This is a success story. The book would contribute to the furthering of our knowledge in the conservation, survival, and management of sea turtles. The main topics covered are:
Each chapter is extensively supported by tables of scientific observations and data. This book will be an invaluable source for years for come to naturalists, marine biologists, Wildlife specialists, conservationists, ecologists, scientists, Government organizations, and the concerned public around the world. Copies may be ordered from the publisher. [Source: Interprint Press Release]
Turtles off Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Devonshire
by R. D. Penhallurick
Foreward by Dr. F. A. Turk, Hon. Research Fellow, University of Exeter
95 pages, 6 x 9 inches, softcover edition only
Copyright 1990; Language English; ISBN 0-9515785-0-2
Maps, black/white photos, bibliography
Published by Dyllansow Pengwella, 2 Chapel Terrace, Trispen, Truro, Cornwall TR4 9BA U. K.
Penhallurick's interest in the sea turtles of Great Britain began in 1970 with a request from Dr. L. D. Brongersma for information about a Kemp's ridley which had been taken at Malpas near Truro in 1913 and deposited in the Truro Museum collection. Penhallurick continued to assemble sea turtle sightings, and provided many of the records for his area which appeared in Brongersma's comprehensive two volume study, European Atlantic Turtles (1972). Penhallurick has now published his own treatise on sea turtles, TURTLES OFF CORNWALL, THE ISLES OF SCILLY AND DEVONSHIRE, in which he describes sightings between 1756 and 1989.
A discussion of the structure and evolution of turtles is followed by a brief chapter on the identification of turtle species, including anatomical illustrations. The bulk of the text is then devoted to recounting individual records of leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, green, hawksbill, and unidentified turtles. The entries are organized chronologically and by species; each species section is prefaced by a summary of distribution and ecology. Most entries specify locale, size/weight, behavior, capture method (where applicable), and other useful observations. Maps, illustrations, and photos are included.
I found the book to be scholarly and thoroughly enjoyable, and concur with Dr. F. A. Turk (in the Foreword) that it is "marvelously readable" and "a most careful study of all that is known of the occurrence of these animals in our seas." Turk concludes, " If mood and luck are with you his words will engender in you a most salutary awe; but don't just read his book: contemplate it. Maybe you will wish, as I do, that these so welcome visitors will be treated with the respect they merit; that there will come a time when ignorant hands will not overturn them on the shore; that they will not arrive struggling in seas sodden with chemical pollution, plastic rubbish and sewage."
Those in the U. K. may order a copy, post free, for £7.95 (address above). For foreigners the cost is £10 (includes air mail), payable in sterling. Trade orders (more than 10 copies) can be obtained from the distributor, Ivan Corbett Publishing, Islington Wharf, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 8AT U. K. The trade discount is 35% in the U. K. and 40% abroad, the latter including postage by accelerated surface mail (2-3 weeks delivery). KLE