KENDRAPARA: Sporadic nesting of endangered Olive Ridley turtles has started at Gahirmatha beach.
Around 300 turtles have laid eggs in the last three days at Nasi-1 and 2 islands within Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, said forest range officer Debashis Bhoi.
In a bid to protect the turtles and their eggs from predators like dogs, jackals, boar and birds, the Forest department has set up hatcheries at Aagarnasi, Pentha, Madali and Babubali beaches.
Forest personnel are collecting eggs from the pits and storing them in the hatcheries, which have been covered with plastic nets as a safety measure.
The sporadic nesting of turtles indicates that mass-nesting of the turtles would start earlier this year. Around 4.07 lakh turtles had laid eggs from March 14 to 21 at Nasi-1 and 2 islands last year.
The government has banned all types of fishing for seven months from November 1 to May 31 to save the endangered marine species.
Officials of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) recently switched off bright lights at the integrated missile testing centre in nearby Abdul Kalam island for the safe arrival of turtles at Gahirmatha.