Kendrapara: Sporadic nesting of Olive Ridley turtles has begun in Gahirmatha beach, the world’s largest known rookery of the marine species, an official said Monday.
Millions of Olive Ridley sea turtles emerge on the tranquil Gahirmatha beach every year to lay eggs between February and March – a rare natural phenomenon and breathtaking sight.
“Small groups of turtles have crawled their way to the nesting beach at Outer Wheelers’ Island and began laying eggs. Sporadic nesting of turtles is a positive sign and is a prelude to en-masse emergence,” said Debashis Bhoi, the forest range officer of the marine sanctuary.
The forest officials are optimistic about ‘arribada’, a Spanish term for mass nesting, very shortly.
Last year, 3,49,694 female turtles had turned up at the nesting grounds to lay eggs from March 9 to 23.
Female turtles virtually invade the nesting beaches, usually at the dead of the night, for laying eggs. After laying eggs, the turtles leave the nesting ground to stride into deep sea.
Hatchlings emerge from these eggs after 45-60 days.
Gahirmatha beach of the Bay of Bengal is widely regarded as the world’s largest-known nesting ground of these reptiles. Apart from Gahirmatha, turtles turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting.
The ground-level staffers are maintaining vigil on the beach to save the nests from predators such as wild dogs, hyenas and jackals. Fishing has also been banned in the area to ensure the safety of the breeding turtles, Bhoi said.