Insight Bureau: Occasional nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles has already started at Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara.
Gahirmatha beach, Kendrapara of the Bay of Bengal is widely regarded as the world’s largest-known nesting ground of the turtles.
The Forest Range Officer of the marine sanctuary Debashis Bhoi on Wednesday said that around 60 Olive Ridley are laying eggs in the last three days at Nasi-1 and Nasi-2 Islands within the Sanctuary.
The ground-level staff is proper alert on the beach to save the nests from predators. Fishing has also been banned in the area to ensure the safety of the breeding turtles, said Debashis Bhoi.
Not only Gahirmatha but also Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth are famous for turtle’s mass nesting.
Every year within February and March millions of olive ridley sea turtles emerge on the tranquil Gahirmatha.
Last year, from March 9 to March, 23 , 3,49,694 female turtles had turned up at the nesting grounds to lay eggs.