Bhubaneswar: After Rushikulya in Ganjam district, the mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles has commenced at Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district.
Odisha’s Chief Wildlife Warden Prem Kumar Jha, in a post on X, said, “Olive Ridley ‘arribada’ has commenced at Gahirmatha, the world’s largest rookery, following a record-breaking 6.37 lakh mass nesting at Rushikulya.”
‘Arribada’ is a Spanish term for mass nesting.
Jha said this is a significant milestone in Odisha’s ongoing marine conservation efforts.
In another post, he said, “Gahirmatha witnessed the arrival of over 78,000 Olive Ridley turtles for mass nesting last night. As the world’s largest rookery, it remains a critical site for their conservation. Odisha continues its dedicated efforts to protect these marine wonders.”
According to Forest officials of Rajnagar forest (mangrove) division, it was heartening to note that the turtles have arrived on their annual sojourn to lay eggs at the tranquil Nasi-II beach of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary amid environmentalists expressing concern over the delay in the arrival of the turtles.
The Olive Ridley turtles usually come to Gahirmatha by February-end but it was delayed by a week.
The mass nesting, which commenced on Wednesday night, is expected to continue for at least one week.
The perfect topography and profile of the beach, free from sea erosion, has proved to be conducive for the turtles to lay eggs.
Nasi-II beach comes under the jurisdiction of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which conducts missile tests from the neighbouring Wheeler Island.
The forest personnel deployed there were the only witnesses to the rare phenomenon. No wildlife researcher could reach the spot due to prohibitions in place, the official said.
Female turtles arrive at the beach usually at the dead of the night to lay eggs and return to the sea after laying eggs.
An Olive Ridley turtle usually lays about 120-150 eggs.
