More Than 4 Lakh Olive Ridley Turtle Nests Spotted In Odisha, Tourists Warned Not To Disturb Them

4,28,083 and still counting... that is how it stands as of now. It is an encouraging sign for the conservation efforts of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles.

With a few more days to go for the mass nesting season to conclude,? the Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of Odisha has registered more than four lakh nests so far, the highest number ever recorded. The previous record was over 3,85,000, which was set in 2017.?

AFP?

Authorities said with the nesting season expected to last a few more days and with nesting yet to start at two other spots, the coasts along the Gahirmatha beach and the mouth of the Debi river, they expect the numbers to go up even higher.

“Congregation of mother turtles in sea near the rookery is quite high this year. We anticipate that in comparison to 2017 more number of turtles will nest this year,” Berhampur divisional forest officer Ashis Behera said.

PTI

Forest Department has erected fences on a stretch of 4.5 km to prevent predators from damaging the nests and the eggs in them. Fishing activity? has also been banned in the area for almost 3 to 6 months during the period.

Despite the best efforts to keep the nesting areas safe from predators, a photo which went viral on social media has the authorities on their toes.

Twitter

The image showed some tourists lifting a turtle to click pictures. After the image went viral, the Forest and Environment Department has asked authorities to identify those who were seen hassling the turtle.

The Olive Ridley Turtle is an endangered species which is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.

AFP

Olive-ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat and nesting beaches, due to human activities such as turtle unfriendly fishing practices, development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centres.

PTI

The conservation process began in 1994, when a group of villagers took a pledge to conserve the endangered species. While earlier in 1990s, only 30,000 Ridleys would flock the beach annually, the number has increased to around 4 lakh now. The hatchlings are expected to begin after 45-50 days of nesting.

Despite a host of conservation measures, the survival rate of the endangered species remains at 1 in 1000.?