Balasore, March 9: Endangered olive ridley turtles have been found laying eggs at two beaches of the coastal district, bringing immense joy to wildlife lovers.

Assistant conservator of forests Subhendra Bhuyan said: 'Olive ridley turtles were seen nesting on Talsari and Kirtania beaches this year. So far, 23 turtles have laid eggs and gone back to the sea. We are expecting some more turtles to come to the beach to lay eggs.'

'These eggs are being guarded by our forest staff and the local residents. They will be guarded for 45 to 60 days, till the emergence of the hatchlings from the eggs,' Bhuyan said.

Honorary wildlife warden Jayant Mardaraj said: 'The arrival of the sea turtles is definitely a good news, but they need to be protected and human interference should be stopped immediately. These marine creatures will not come once they feel disturbed or threatened.'

In the past few years, only a limited number of olive ridley turtles were seen on the beaches of Balasore. But this year, the scene is completely different since many olive ridleys are flocking to the Balasore beach.

Usually, olive ridleys come to the Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district and the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district for their annual mass nesting. But their arrival on Talsari and Kirtania beaches to lay eggs is an altogether new development. 'If a conducive environment is maintained for these turtles, they may come in large numbers in the coming years,' said Mardaraj.

On the one hand, olive ridley turtles are being sighted on the Balasore coast, and on the other, dolphins were found in the Subrnarekha river near Bhograi. This sure will make wildlife lovers happy. During the recent dolphin census, five bottlenose species were found near the Subarnarekha river mouth.

Jaleswar forest range officer Prabodh Das said: 'It is very much evident that the dolphins migrate to the Subarnarekha river, possibly in search of food.'