Rushikulya sands teem with Olive Ridleys

Source: The post is based on the article “Rushikulya sands teem with Olive Ridleys” published in The Hindu on 7th March 2023.

What is the News?

The Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha’s Ganjam district has emerged as a major mass nesting site for the Olive Ridley turtles as a record number of over 6.37 lakh turtles laid eggs on the beach during the eight-day mass nesting.

Olive Ridley Turtles also arrived at Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district, which is known as the world’s largest known nesting site of the olive ridley turtles. Puri and Devi river mouth beaches too host Olive Ridley turtles this time around.

What are Olive Ridley Turtles?

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What is the Rushikulya River?

Rushikulya River is one of the major rivers in the state of Odisha. It covers the entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam of Odisha. 

The Rushikulya originate from Daringbadi hills of the Eastern Ghats range. The place from where the river originates, Daringbadi is called the ‘Kashmir of Odisha’.

The river meets the Bay of Bengal at Puruna Bandha in Ganjam. 

Its tributaries are the Baghua, the Dhanei, the Badanadi etc. It has no delta as such at its mouth.