Mass nesting of Olive Ridleys starts at Rushikulya river mouth
Berhampur: Mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, started near the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district in the wee hours of Sunday. On the first day, 11,390 female turtles laid eggs on the four-km-long stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar, said Sunny Khokkar, divisional forest officer (DFO), Berhampur.
He said the mass nesting was followed by sporadic nesting in the Rushikulya river mouth, considered as the second largest rookery of the turtles after Gahiramath in Kendrapada district. However, mass nesting is yet to start at Gahiramatha this year. Last year, the turtles did not nest at Rushikulya though many had been seen in the sea.
Wildlife experts anticipate the unique phenomenon would continue for some more days. “The condition of the beach and weather are very conducive. We are expecting the mass nesting to continue for some more days,” said Basudev Tripathy, senior scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). In 2023, mass nesting at Rushikulya river mouth started on Feb 27.
Forest officials have taken steps to protect the eggs and for safe nesting with the help of locals. “The entire beach has been fenced to restrict entry of visitors to the nesting site. It could continue till the eggs start hatching,” said a forest officer.
Female turtles dig pits in the beach to lay the eggs. The pit is covered by the mother turtles before they return to the sea. Around 100 to 150 eggs are laid by each female turtle. The mother turtle does not wait to see the baby turtles emerge, which happens after about 45 to 50 days of the nesting. “We along with forest staff take care of the eggs and baby turtles till they crawl back into the sea,” said Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary, Ganjam district sea turtle protection committee.
He said the mass nesting was followed by sporadic nesting in the Rushikulya river mouth, considered as the second largest rookery of the turtles after Gahiramath in Kendrapada district. However, mass nesting is yet to start at Gahiramatha this year. Last year, the turtles did not nest at Rushikulya though many had been seen in the sea.
Wildlife experts anticipate the unique phenomenon would continue for some more days. “The condition of the beach and weather are very conducive. We are expecting the mass nesting to continue for some more days,” said Basudev Tripathy, senior scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). In 2023, mass nesting at Rushikulya river mouth started on Feb 27.
Forest officials have taken steps to protect the eggs and for safe nesting with the help of locals. “The entire beach has been fenced to restrict entry of visitors to the nesting site. It could continue till the eggs start hatching,” said a forest officer.
Female turtles dig pits in the beach to lay the eggs. The pit is covered by the mother turtles before they return to the sea. Around 100 to 150 eggs are laid by each female turtle. The mother turtle does not wait to see the baby turtles emerge, which happens after about 45 to 50 days of the nesting. “We along with forest staff take care of the eggs and baby turtles till they crawl back into the sea,” said Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary, Ganjam district sea turtle protection committee.
