On the coast of Odisha This time there was such a wonderful view, which surprised everyone. A fair of Olive Ridley Turtles was held here and set a new record by laying millions of eggs. This time, turtles have broken the record of last year by laying more than 6.82 lakh eggs in Rushikulya Rockry in Ganjam district.
IAS Supriya Sahu shared the video
IAS Supriya Sahu posted a video on X on February 19 and said, ‘There is a wonderful view of nature in Odisha. About 3 lakh Olive Ridley Turtles, known as Aribada, have come here for collective nests. This is a rare incident. These turtles play an important role in maintaining marine ecosystems, and their return is a promising sign of healthy housing.
More than 6.82 lakh Olive Ridley Turtles arrived in Odisha
According to Odisha’s Barahampur Divisional Forest Officer Sunny Khokre, more than 6.82 lakh Olive Ridley Turtles have laid eggs on the beach so far. The number has crossed the previous record of the arrival of 6.37 lakh maritime species in 2023.
Sources said that from 23 February to 2 March in 2023, a total of 6,37,008 turtles laid eggs during the 8 -day mass nesting period, while in 2022, 5.50 lakh turtles laid eggs. In addition, this beach is currently under strict supervision of the Forest Department.
Experts told this reason
Experts say that the favorable climate is the main reason due to which the record number of Olive Ridley turtles are coming to the beaches to build large -scale nests. Senior scientist Bavas of Dehradun, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said, “This year, due to good weather, more turtles have laid eggs at the mouth of the Rushikulya River.” Rushikulya River is emerging as a major refuge for turtles.
330 turtles returned
According to a senior scientist, ZSI scientists have so far found more than 330 Olive Ridley Turtles, who have returned here. Because these turtles were GPS-tag over a period of 2021-23.
A fence was made to protect the eggs of these turtles.
The Khalikot Range official said, ‘The government has fencing new areas as this time the turtles have built a collective nest in an area of about 9 km from New Podampeta to Prayagi. He said that this fence has been installed to protect the eggs from predators. We take full care for the safety of eggs.
