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Hans India
5 days ago
- General
- Hans India
Turtle research centre sought near Rushikulya river mouth
Berhampur: As Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district has emerged as a major rookery for Olive Ridley turtles, wildlife lovers and experts have demanded the establishment of a turtle research centre in the area to study the behaviour of the marine animal. The demand in this regard was made at a meeting observing the 'World Turtle Day' on May 23, at Purunabandh, near the river mouth. The meeting was organised by the Khallikote forest range. 'It's high time the government take steps to expedite the proposal for setting up of turtle research centre near the rookery,' said Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary, Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, an organisation working on conservation and protection of the Olive Ridley turtles. The Forest department has identified around 3.5 acres of government land near Purunabandh for the establishment of the proposed centre, sources said. Many speakers at the meeting said due to the active participation of local people in the protection and conservation of the endangered sea turtles, the Rushikulya river mouth has emerged as a major rookery. A record number of around nine lakh Olive Ridley turtles visited the beach for mass nesting in two phases this year. While 6, 98,698 Olive Ridleys had laid eggs on the beach in their first phase of mass nesting from February 16 to 23 in the 5-km stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar, over 2.05 lakh turtles had laid eggs in the same stretch in the second phase of mass nesting from March 22 to 27, said Dibya Shankar Behera, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), in-charge in Khallikote range. He said a record number of baby Olive Ridley turtles had also emerged from the pits and moved towards the sea with the help of forest staff and local volunteers. Anil Mohapatra, senior scientist of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), said Olive Ridley turtles preferred to return to Rushikulya rookery for mass nesting due to its safety and protection. He said around 12,000 female turtles had been tagged by the ZSI and the Forest department in the 2021-23 period at Rushikulya rookery to monitor their movement. 'We have recaptured over 553 of them in the same site so far. This indicates that they preferred to revisit the rookery for mass nesting,' he added. Shankar Naryan Bez, coordinator of district Eco-Club, lauded the community participation in the protection and conservation of Olive Ridley turtles near the Rushikulya river mouth.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Thousands of Ridley hatchlings emerge from pits, move towards sea near river mouth
1 2 Berhampur: Thousands of Olive Ridley hatchlings emerged from the sandy pits near the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district and crawled towards the sea early on Saturday, marking the second phase of mass hatching .The spectacle unfolded a month after the first phase of mass hatching on April 10, when millions of baby turtles made their way into the sea. Officials expect the ongoing hatching to continue for another three to four days. "We are trying our best to ensure the safety of baby turtles," said Dibya Shankar Behera, assistant conservator of forests (ACF).A record 6,98,698 Olive Ridleys had nested across a 5-km stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar during the first phase of mass nesting between Feb 16 and 23. Another 2,05,000 turtles laid eggs along the same stretch between March 22 and 27 during the second phase of officials said the exact number of hatchlings reaching the sea during the first phase could not be counted due to logistical challenges. Operation Sindoor Pak drones enter Indian airspace, explosions heard just hours after truce deal Sirens, explosions in border districts after Pak breaks deal: What we know so far 'What happened to ceasefire?' J&K CM after explosions heard across Srinagar Forest officials and local volunteers have stepped up efforts to safeguard the hatchlings."We have fenced the entire area to keep out wild dogs, jackals and hyenas," Behera said, adding that patrolling along the beach is underway to protect the hatchlings from aerial predators such as crows and kites. The area has been declared a no-entry zone to minimise disturbances."Local volunteers collected some of the baby turtles in buckets, as they had strayed from their path and released them into the sea," said Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary of the Ganjam District Sea Turtle Protection Committee.
