An official reported on Saturday that more than three lakh Olive Ridley turtles have already arrived at Gahirmatha beach, the largest rookery of the marine reptile species in the world, to lay eggs this time.
According to him, the turtles began mass nesting on Gahirmatha’s Nasi-II beach on Thursday night.
“We counted 2,14,058 turtles that deposited eggs on Thursday, and another 88,605 turtles that came in for a mass nesting the next day. Since March 9, more than 3 lakh turtles have appeared on Gahirmatha beach “says the official.
More over five lakh Olive Ridley turtles arrived to Gahirmatha to lay eggs the previous year.
Bichitranda Behera, a range officer for the Gahirmatha forest, predicted that the number of animals would certainly surpass that of the previous season.
In eight days starting on February 23 this year, a record number of around 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles arrived at the Rushikulya coast in Ganjam district, another location where the marine reptile breeds in large numbers.
The mass nesting is anticipated to last for a week, while a sizable congregation is anticipated at Gahirmatha over the next two to three days, according to Behera.
Female Olive Ridley turtles practically flood the beaches where they deposit their eggs, generally in the middle of the night. They often lay 120 to 150 eggs before returning to the sea, according to a different source.
Typically, hatchlings emerge between 45 and 60 days.
Only one hatchling survives to adulthood for every 1,000 that are released into the ocean, according to government statistics.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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