The Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha’s Ganjam district has recorded an unprecedented gathering of olive ridley turtles for mass nesting, with over 6.82 lakh of the endangered species arriving on its shores this year, officials said on Sunday.
The annual nesting event, which commenced on February 16, has already surpassed last year’s count of 6.37 lakh turtles, Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sunny Khokkar confirmed.
“In 2023, 6,37,008 turtles nested over an eight-day period from February 23 to March 2, while the figure stood at 5.50 lakh in 2022,” Khokkar said, adding that the numbers this year could rise further as the nesting process is still ongoing.
Favourable climatic conditions have contributed to the surge in turtle arrivals, according to experts. "The improved weather has played a key role in attracting more olive ridley turtles to the Rushikulya river mouth, reinforcing its importance as a prime nesting site," said Dr Bivas Pandav, senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) senior scientist Basudev Tripathy noted that the timely nesting could result in a higher number of hatchlings. Meanwhile, ZSI teams have recaptured over 330 GPS-tagged olive ridleys from previous tagging efforts between 2021 and 2023, according to scientist Anil Mohapatra.
To safeguard the nesting zones, authorities have installed protective fencing along a newly expanded 9-km stretch from New Podampeta to Prayagi, said Khallikote Range Officer Dibya Shankar Behera. "Every precaution is being taken to ensure the safety of the eggs, which are expected to hatch in about 45 days," he added.
The mass nesting event at Rushikulya reaffirms its status as one of the most significant rookeries for olive ridley turtles in India.
(With inputs from PTI)