Latest news with #GahirmathaMarineTurtlesandMangroveConservationSociety
Time of India
13-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Croc found dead in Bhitarkanika
Kendrapada : A four-year-old male saltwater crocodile was found dead in the Kochia river near Silapokhari village within Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday marking the 14th unnatural crocodile death in the past five carcass measuring 4-ft and eight inches was spotted by locals who alerted forest authorities. "We have sent the carcass for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death," said Manas Kumar Das , assistant conservator of forest ( ACF ), incident follows discovery of a female saltwater crocodile's carcass in the Brahmani river on Nov 1, 2024 highlighting a disturbing trend in the protected area. "Unnatural deaths of adult crocodiles in Bhitarkanika are alarming," said Sudhakar Kar, noted herpetologist and former wildlife researcher. He said saltwater crocodiles are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, to Hemant Rout, secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society (GMTMCS), illegal fishing remains a major threat to the crocodile population. "Despite fishing being banned in Bhitarkanika's water bodies, unauthorised activities continue unabated, leading to more crocodile casualties," Rout park, established as a crocodile breeding center in 1975 through a UNDP collaboration, is home to 1,825 saltwater crocodiles as per the January 2025 census. However, with 36 crocodile deaths recorded in the past 13 years, conservationists are increasingly concerned about the effectiveness of protection latest death has exposed significant gaps in the park's conservation efforts, prompting calls for stricter enforcement of fishing regulations and enhanced protection measures for these endangered reptiles.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Turtle hatchlings emerge from eggs at Gahirmatha
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kendrapada: Millions of Olive Ridley turtles started emerging from their nests Tuesday night at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary , the world's largest rookery in Kendrapada district. The mass hatching took place across Nasi-1, Nasi-2, and Eakakulanasi islands within Bhitarkanika National Park, following a successful nesting season that saw 606,933 turtles laying eggs between March 5 to 10. "A female turtle typically lays 80 to 100 eggs," said Kapil Pradhan, forest range officer of Gahirmatha. The eggs incubate in the warm sand for 40 to 45 days before the two-inch hatchlings emerge under the cover of darkness. To protect the vulnerable hatchlings, authorities have implemented several safety measures. "We've fenced the 6-km nesting beach to prevent the hatchlings from wandering towards land or nearby mangrove forests instead of the sea," Pradhan said. Forest guards and locals have been deployed to ward off predators such as dogs, jackals, and birds. Also, defence personnel at the nearby Abdul Kalam Island missile testing range have masked bright lights that could disorient the hatchlings. Secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society Hemant Rout said the undisturbed nests typically have a 90 per cent success rate while those affected by human or animal interference may drop to 25 per cent or lower. "The survival rate is extremely low — only one in a thousand hatchlings survives till adulthood. Those that survive will return to this very beach in about 20 years to mate and lay eggs, guided by Earth's magnetic field," Rout added.
