A total of 1,533 Olive Ridley turtle eggs were collected from 13 nests at various spots across the Mandapam range of Ramanathapuram district on Thursday, making it the record-high in the past three years.
Mandapam Forest Range Officer G. Venkatesh said that eggs were collected from Arichalmunai, Danushkodi, Anthoniyar Kovil, MR Chathiram and Paradi.
Till date, as many as 9,747 eggs were collected from 83 nests during this season. This is higher than last season, said Mr. Venkatesh. ‘The higher number of eggs collected this year is due to favourable climatic conditions,’ he added.
The first nesting for this season started on January 11. The collected eggs are kept at the two hatcheries. It usually takes around 50 to 55 days for the eggs to hatch, he added.
