Olive Ridley turtle mass nesting at Odisha coast breaks all records

Good news for nature lovers! Lakhs of Olive Ridley sea turtles have flocked this year to Rushikulya river mouth for their annual mass nesting.

Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for Oliver Ridleys in the world. As temperatures start rising and getting warmer, the mass nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles on the Odisha coast starts. Lakhs of Olive Ridley sea turtles have flocked this year to Rushikulya river mouth for their annual mass nesting.

These endangered species flock to the place every year from the third week of February to the first week of March for nesting. After a long journey, all the way from the Indian Ocean, the turtles take rest for some days after burying the eggs.

As many as 2.45 lakh Olive Ridleys crawled ashore to lay eggs this year on Day 1, informed Susant Nanda, Senior IFS Officer.

This increased to 4.92 lakhs at Rushikulya and 5.20 lakhs at Gahirmatha on Friday. The number has broken all records of mass nesting till date.

The Forest department is taking all possible steps to protect the endangered species. While fishing has been banned up to 20 km along the coast from Gahirmatha to Rushikulya, a team of forest officials along with 20 staff have been deployed to prevent any violations.

Berhampur Division DFO Amlan Nayak told India Today, “The State Forest & Environment Department has made arrangements for safe nesting by enforcing restrictions on movement of fishing boats and illegal activities near the nesting site”.

We will ensure that no problems occur during mass nesting,” he added.