Over 2 lakh Olive Ridleys turn up for mass nesting at Gahirmatha in 10 days

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Mar 19, 2021 at 9:49 AM Updated On : Mar 19, 2021 at 9:50 AM

Kendrapara: More than 2 lakh olive ridleys have turned up for mass nesting at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district in last 10 days.

Although not in large numbers, total 2,03,635 sea turtles have been spawning at Nasi-2 island of Gahirmatha sanctuary for the past 10 days, forest official source said.

Mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles begins at Odisha’s Gahirmatha marine sanctuary

1 crore Olive Ridley turtles hatch on Odisha coast

The mass nesting process had begun on March 8 at Gahirmatha. While a minimal number of endangered turtles participated in mass nesting on first day, the number increased later.

According to data, 300 olive ridleys laid eggs on March 8, 800 on March 9, 1250 on March 10, 7940 on March 11, 425 on March 12, 210 on March 13, 18350 on March 14, 32560 on March 15, 72600 on March 16 and 69200 on March 17.

The mass nesting of olive redileys at Gahirmatha shore was first spotted in the year 1975. The State Government has prohibited fishing in sea upto 20 km from Gahirmatha after declaring it as the first marine sanctuary on September 27, 1997.

Gahirmatha Olive Ridley