Fencing along the sea coast to protect the olive ridley turtles during their mass nesting at the Rushikulya rookery in Odisha is being increased by two more kilometres this year.
According to wildlife experts, mass nesting of olive ridleys is expected to start in a week or ten days at this major nesting site. Thousands of mother olive ridleys are now waiting at sea within two kilometres from the coastline between Gokharkuda and Podampeta villages of Ganjam district, Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Ashis Behera said.
The mating season of the endangered marine turtles in the sea near the Rushikulya rookery coast that started in November is now over. Most male olive ridleys have returned to their original habitat thousands of kilometres away, while the females have stayed back to nest at the sandy coast. The pregnant olive ridleys are coming closer by the day to their nesting coast at the Ruhsikulya rookery. All arrangements are in the final stages for protection of these endangered turtles during their nesting time as well as for protection of their eggs in the nests during the 45-day-long gestation period.
Every year, a 3.5-kilometre-long stretch of the beach from Gokharkuda to Podampeta used to be fenced to stop predators from harming the olive ridleys during nesting and the eggs in their nests. This temporary fencing also checks olive ridleys and their hatchlings from straying towards land. This year the forest department has decided to extend the fencing for another two kilometres towards the north from Podampeta to Bateswar temple on the coast.
“Last year a large number of olive ridleys had preferred to nest in this region which had remained unfenced, so this year we decided to extend the fencing,” said the DFO.
The forest department has established four camps at Purunabandh, Gokharkuda, Podampeta and Bateswar. These camps will monitor the nesting process round-the-clock. Patrolling at sea is continuing to check the entry of fishing trawlers to the olive ridley congregation zone.
The forest department has decided to streamline and regulate tourist flow to the nesting coast during the nesting season. Tourists will be allowed to reach only demarcated regions of the coast through Podampeta and Gokharkuda villages so that human intervention does not affect the nesting process in any way.
