Odisha: Gahirmatha beach bustling as olive ridley turtles return for mass nesting

Kendrapara: The Gahirmatha beach in Odisha's Kendrapara district was bustling as the olive ridley turtles returned for annual mass nesting.

Last year, 5.12 lakh turtles had come to Gahirmatha for nesting, between March 8 and 13. This time, the phenomenon was delayed by a month, likely due to a rough sea and a spell of unseasonal rains, said Divisional Forest Officer Sudrashan Gopinath Yadav.

"However, it is heartening to note that turtles have finally come to lay eggs at the tranquil beach in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary," he said.

The natural phenomenon is expected to last for at least a week, he added.

The topography of the beach, free from erosion, is conducive for the turtles to nest, Yadav said.

The beach is a protected area under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which conducts missile tests from the neighbouring Wheeler Island. As a result, people are not allowed entry here, except forest guards who are the lone witness to the rare sight of thousands of turtles crawling on the beach making a cacophony.

"The presence of forest personnel on the nesting ground did not bother the turtles as they maintained a distance. Emphasis is on to provide privacy to the turtles during the egg-laying process," said another official.

It's only the female turtles that invade the nesting beaches, usually in the dead of the night, to lay eggs, a phenomenon described as 'arribada'.

"After laying eggs, the turtles leave the nesting ground to stride into the deep seawater. Hatchlings emerge from these eggs after 45-60 days. It is a rare natural phenomenon in which babies grow without their mother," said an official.

Each olive ridley turtle lays about 120-150 eggs, but not all remain intact as predators devour some, he said.

"Besides, eggs are also washed away by sea waves during high tide," he added.