Two prominent turtle nesting grounds in Odisha — inside Gahirmatha wildlife and marine sanctuary in coastal Kendrapara district and another on the sea beach near the mouth of river Rusikulya in southern Ganjam district —have witnessed the hatching of more than 70 lakh baby Olive Ridley sea turtles this year.
“This is certainly a big number,” said an official in the wildlife division of the state forest department which monitors the birth of these endangered baby turtles and their maiden journey into the deep seas of Bay of Bengal.
According to forest department officials, of the 70 lakh and odd baby turtles, 40 to 45 lakh have been born in the rookery in Gahirmatha, considered to be the biggest nesting ground in the world for Olive Ridleys. The beach on the Rusikulya river mouth have recorded birth of about 25 to 30 lakh turtle babies.
The number of newly born turtle babies is expected to go up further. In March this year, more than 4.33 lakh Olive Ridley turtles had participated in the mass nesting in Gahirmatha while Rusikulya river mouth had witnessed congregation of about 3.10 lakh turtles.
Officials in the wildlife division of the forest department claimed that the birth of such a large number of endangered sea animals had been possible because of safety measures initiated by the department.
For example, specially designated forest department employees had been engaged both in Gahirmatha as well as Rusikulya river mouth to protect the turtle eggs and the baby turtles from predators like crows, jackals and dogs.
In Gahirmatha, the authorities at the nearby Wheelers Island missile testing centre in neighbouring Bhadrak district have also pitched in to protect the baby turtles by masking the bright lights of the defence facility to ensure the tiny Olive Ridleys’ smooth journey to the sea. Baby turtles usually come out of their sand pits and proceed towards the sea during night time.