Chief secy seeks enhanced protection for Olive Ridley hatchlings | Bhubaneswar News
Berhampur: Chief secretary Manoj Kumar Ahuja has directed forest officials to strengthen surveillance measures for protecting Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings during the upcoming second phase of mass hatching at Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district.
During his visit to the nesting site on Monday, Ahuja held discussions with local forest officials regarding protection measures during mass hatching activities of the endangered species. Senior forest officers were present during his inspection.
The first phase of mass hatching, which began on Thursday, was temporarily disrupted by a thunderstorm on Sunday evening. “Though hatching activities paused during the night, several baby turtles emerged from their pits early on Monday,” Berhampur divisional forest officer Sunny Khokkar said.
The rookery has witnessed a record number of nesting turtles this year, with approximately nine lakh Olive Ridleys laying eggs in two phases. The first phase saw 6,98,698 turtles nesting between Feb 16 and 23, while over 2.05 lakh turtles laid eggs during the second phase from March 22 and 27 along the 5km stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar.
Wildlife Institute of India senior scientist Bibhas Pandav assured that the thunderstorm would not affect eggs in the pits as rainwater cannot penetrate deep enough to cause damage. However, forest officials reported that some eggs were destroyed when turtles came for the second phase of nesting.
The second phase of mass hatching is expected to take place in the second week of May. While the exact number of emerged hatchlings cannot be determined, officials anticipate a record number of baby turtles making their way to the sea this season.
During his visit to the nesting site on Monday, Ahuja held discussions with local forest officials regarding protection measures during mass hatching activities of the endangered species. Senior forest officers were present during his inspection.
The first phase of mass hatching, which began on Thursday, was temporarily disrupted by a thunderstorm on Sunday evening. “Though hatching activities paused during the night, several baby turtles emerged from their pits early on Monday,” Berhampur divisional forest officer Sunny Khokkar said.
The rookery has witnessed a record number of nesting turtles this year, with approximately nine lakh Olive Ridleys laying eggs in two phases. The first phase saw 6,98,698 turtles nesting between Feb 16 and 23, while over 2.05 lakh turtles laid eggs during the second phase from March 22 and 27 along the 5km stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar.
Wildlife Institute of India senior scientist Bibhas Pandav assured that the thunderstorm would not affect eggs in the pits as rainwater cannot penetrate deep enough to cause damage. However, forest officials reported that some eggs were destroyed when turtles came for the second phase of nesting.
The second phase of mass hatching is expected to take place in the second week of May. While the exact number of emerged hatchlings cannot be determined, officials anticipate a record number of baby turtles making their way to the sea this season.
