Record 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley turtles arrive at Odisha’s Rushikulya beach for mass nesting 

Olive Ridley turtles also arrive at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, which is known as the world’s largest known rookery

About 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles have arrived for mass nesting at Rushikulya coast this year, setting a new record for the beach in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

The arrival of 6.37 lakh turtles during February 23 to March 2 — which is treated as a mass nesting period — was attributed to emergence of new beaches for laying of eggs near Podampetta area, Sunny Khokkar, Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer told over the phone.

Mr. Khokkar said, this year, the beaches remained unaffected as there were no extreme weather events such as cyclone and heavy rain and turtles ascended perfectly sloped beaches at Rushikulya River Mouth. Last year, 5.5 lakh Olive Ridley turtles had come to Rushikulya for mass nesting.