Kendrapara: Sporadic nesting of olive ridley turtles has begun in Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara.
Reportedly, the Olive Ridley Sea turtles have come from the Jaffna peninsula along the North West coast of Sri Lanka and started mass nesting from midnight of March 25.
scores 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.
According to the forest department, on March 26 a total of 2,45,188 eggs were laid and on March 27 1,84,994 eggs were laid.
It is pertinent to mention that, Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district is acclaimed as the world’s largest-known nesting ground of these endangered marine species. Apart from Gahirmatha, these aquatic animals turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi River mouth for mass nesting.
After the end of the mating season, most of the male turtles usually return, leaving behind the female turtles to lay their eggs, he said. The female turtles virtually invade the nesting beaches, usually at the dead of the night for laying eggs, the phenomenon described as ‘arribada’.
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