Ganjam: The river mouth of the Rushikulya near Purunabandh village in this district is buzzing with activities as Olive Ridley turtles have started their mating session, a report said Wednesday.
The rare turtles are arriving in thousands in the river mouth and found engaging in mating, Khallikote ranger Dillip Kumar Martha said. The process will continue till January 15 next year, he said. The river mouth is known as the nesting site of the rare turtles. The turtles travel thousands of miles through the sea and come here for mating and laying eggs.
The mating of the sea turtles has spread cheers among environmentalists as thousands of turtles in pairs could be seen floating in the sea about four km from shore for hours together within five to six km stretch of the sea beach, the DFO said. The mass nesting of the turtles will start from February when the female turtles will dig up holes in the beach to lay eggs.
The DFO said some turtles have laid eggs in November. These eggs have been shifted to the artificial hatchery built at Prayagai beach to save them from wild animals like jackals, dogs and crows. Currently, four artificial hatcheries have been built at Prayagi, Podampeta, Purunabandh and Gokharkuda for safe hatching of the eggs.
The mating starts in the second week of November usually at a distance of 18 to 20 km off the coast. Initially a few turtles were seen mating. Later, the number registered a big jump, the DFO said.
The forest officials as part of preventive measures have declared the area extending from Prayagi in the north to Aryapalli in the south as a prohibited zone by putting up barricades, and have banned the entry of visitors.
Forest officials are also keeping tabs on trawlers, and have formed a 10-member team for surveillance. The coastguard and other security personnel have been asked to keep a watch on the shores to provide a peaceful atmosphere to the marine turtles during their mating season, he said. At least 24 forest officials have been deployed in six camps to keep a tight watch during the period.
The mass nesting of turtles will start when the winds start blowing southwards from February, the forest official said.
Olive Ridley turtles travel thousands of miles from as far as the coasts of Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Japan to mate and lay eggs at the mouth of Rushikulya. Female turtles lay around 140 to 160 eggs and it takes 40-50 days for the hatchlings to come out of eggshells.