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Olive ridley turtles arrive early this season

Staff Reporter

As many as 40 nest on Rushikulya coast

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

RARE SIGHT: Olive ridley turtles in blue waters off coast near Gokharakuda village in Ganjam block.

BERHAMPUR: A small number of olive ridley turtles have started arriving early to lay their eggs on the Rushikulya river mouth coast although the mass mating continues at deep sea near the Rushikulya river mouth.

Rabindranath Sahu, secretary of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, an organisation formed by volunteers from coastal villages near Rushikulya river mouth, informed that in the past one week around 40 olive ridleys have nested at the coast. He said as it was the mating time of turtles mass nesting would start from the second week of February. Mangaraj Panda, secretary of the United Artistes, an organisation involved in the upliftment of fishermen, said the fishermen on the Ganjam coast were asked not to disturb the olive ridleys involved in mating at sea.

As neither the volunteers nor the forest officials are prepared to make arrangements to protect the eggs of the turtles that nested early, a large number of the eggs have been eaten away by jackals and stray dogs, said Mr. Sahu. He also said that till now eight Olive ridleys died due to injuries by fishing nets and other reasons near the Rushikulya river mouth coast.

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