Bhubaneswar: On Tuesday, February 08, 2022, the Odisha forest officials revealed that sudden climatic changes adversely impacted the mass nesting process of the rare Olive Ridley turtles on the Rushikulya sea mouth near the Purubandha village of the Ganjam district.
According to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Amlan Kumar Nayak, over 500 Olive Ridleys laid eggs after the southern winds on the late Saturday night of February 05, 2022. “The changes in climatic conditions hindered the mass nesting. I hope the conditions change soon and thousands of turtles start laying eggs on the beach,” Nayak said.
The Rushikulya river mouth is considered the second largest rookery in India after the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in the Kendrapara district of Odisha. Lakhs of these endangered turtles flock to the river mouth in the Ganjam district from the third week of February to the first week of March for annual nesting.
The officials are taking various steps to ensure the security of Olive Ridleys. The forest department recently erected 1.5km and 2-meter tall plastic fences till the Podampeta district to protect the marine species from wild animals.
(Avya Mathur)