Kendrapara: A total of 2,03,635 Olive Ridley turtles thronged the Nasi-1 and Nasi-2 islands of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary for mass nesting from March 8 to March 17, a forest official informed Friday.
According to sources, the mass nesting of the endangered sea turtles had begun March 8 at Gahirmatha in Kendrapara district. Initially, a minimal number of Olive Ridleys had taken part in the mass nesting. On the first day, their number was very few but it increased later.
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Around 300 Olive Ridleys laid eggs at Gahirmatha shore on March 8, 800 on March 9, 1,250 on March 10, 7,940 on March 11, 425 on March 12, 210 on March 13, 18,350 on March 14, 32,560 on March 15; 72,600 on March 16 and 69,200 on March 17, a forest official of Kendrapara stated.
Notably, the mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha in Kendrapara was first spotted in 1975. The State government has prohibited fishing in the sea up to 20 km from shore and declared it as the first marine sanctuary September 27, 1997.
PNN