The mouth of the Rushikulya River in Odisha’s Ganjam district has emerged as a major rookery for the endangered olive ridley turtles. A total of 6,37,008 turtles had laid eggs in eight days of mass nesting from February 23 to March 2, in 2023, while 5.50 lakh turtles laid Eggs in 2022, sources said. The government has put fencing in the new areas as the turtles nested from New Podampeta to Prayagi-around 9-km stretch this time. A good number of hatchlings are likely to emerge as the mass nesting has taken place in time in the rookery, experts say. The better climatic condition this year has helped more turtles lay eggs in the Rush Rikulya river mouth, which is emerging as a big rookery. The turtles play a crucial role in maintaining the marine ecosystem, and their return… pic.twitter.com/43lQ2WTAOz “Imagine and witness this natures extravaganza. Where lakhs of olive Ridley turtles are visiting for mass nesting on Indian coasts,” Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun senior scientist Bivas Pandav said. “We have taken utmost care to protect the eggs, which may hatch after 45 days,’ said Dibya Shankar Behera, range officer, Khallikote.
