Berhampur: The much-awaited mass nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, has started near the mouth of river Rushikulya, about 50 km from here, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
On the first day, over 8,000 turtles laid eggs in the three-km long sandy beach stretching from Gokharakuda to Podampeta in Ganjam district.
“The condition of the beach as well as the weather is very conducive. The mass nesting has already started early this morning. We expect the unique phenomena to continue for the next few days,” divisional forest officer (DFO), Berhampur, Asish Kumar Behera, said.
The mass nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles was followed by sporadic nesting in the Rushikulya rookery, considered as the second largest after Gahirmatha.
“We have taken several measures to protect the eggs. People are not allowed entry into the nesting site. The entire 4.5-km long stretch of the beach has been fenced to prevent outsiders from entering the area,” the DFO said.
Around 200 persons, including forest personnel, wildlife activists and nearby villagers were engaged 24 hours for protection of the turtles and their eggs, which would continue for 50 days, the DFO added. PNN