Odisha ready to welcome olive ridleys

Odisha ready to welcome olive ridleys

Context

Fencing along the sea coast to protect the olive ridley turtles during their mass nesting at the Rushikulya rookery in Odisha is being increased by two more kilometres this year.

Mating season over

The mating season of the endangered marine turtles in the sea near the Rushikulya rookery coast that started in November is now over.

Mothers waiting

Thousands of mother olive ridleys are now waiting at sea within two kilometres from the coastline between Gokharkuda and Podampeta villages of Ganjam district

Males returned to their habitat

Most male olive ridleys have returned to their original habitat thousands of kilometres away, while the females have stayed back to nest at the sandy coast.

Temporary fencing

• Every year, a 3.5-kilometre-long stretch of the beach from Gokharkuda to Podampeta used to be fenced to stop predators from harming the olive ridleys during nesting and the eggs in their nests
• This temporary fencing also checks olive ridleys and their hatchlings from straying towards land
• This year the forest department has decided to extend the fencing for another two kilometres towards the north from Podampeta to Bateswar temple on the coast.

Camps established

• The forest department has established four camps at Purunabandh, Gokharkuda, Podampeta and Bateswar.
• These camps will monitor the nesting process round-the-clock
• Patrolling at sea is continuing to check the entry of fishing trawlers to the olive ridley congregation zone

Regulating tourist flow

• The forest department has decided to streamline and regulate tourist flow to the nesting coast during the nesting season.
• Tourists will be allowed to reach only demarcated regions of the coast through Podampeta and Gokharkuda villages so that human intervention does not affect the nesting process in any way.