BHUBANESWAR : The second wave of arribada at Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district - a rare occurrence at Olive Ridley turtle nesting sites - has brought both joy and worry for forest officials.
While more than 1.2 lakh turtles have already laid their eggs during the second phase of nesting which started from Friday, the nesting has raised fears over the safety of the eggs that had been laid during the first phase in February. The officials are now in wait and watch mode to see what impact the two mass nesting events will have on hatchlings.
Officials of Berhampur forest division said the mass nesting resumed on March 21 was expected to end by Sunday. However, despite rains, it is continuing and expected to go on for a few more days.
“About 1.2 lakh Olive Ridleys have already laid eggs in this phase. We are expecting the number to go close to two lakh as a large number of turtles are still congregated in the shore waters and ready to lay eggs,” said assistant conservator of forests of Khalikote, Dibya Shankar Behera.
However, with the turtles laying eggs at the same stretch where the arribada in the first phase continued from February 16 to 23, at least 5 to 10 per cent eggs may get damaged in the process. Hatching of crores of eggs laid previously by the Olive Ridleys on the 7-10 km stretch of the rookery is fast approaching and expected to take place anytime in the first two weeks of April.
“The second wave of nesting at the same site within the same season has presented a significant challenge. As new turtles arrive to lay eggs, their digging activity risks disturbing and damaging the earlier nests, potentially affecting the survival of the hatchlings already developing beneath the sand. It takes around 45 days for the eggs to hatch,” Behera said.
Berhampur DFO Sunny Khokhar said all protection measures for the turtles have been put in place. However, it is to be seen what impact the two arribadas will have on hatchlings at the site this year, he said.
Rabindranath Sahu, the founding head of Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, said, “This is the fourth time mass nesting has taken place twice in a season at the site. Previously, such nestings had been recorded in 2006, 2011 and 2018. However, the phenomenon is something that no one can do much about,” he said.
In the first wave, Rushikulya rookery saw a record 7.2 lakh Olive Ridley turtles arriving at the nesting site this year, the highest in recent decades. The arribada lasted for eight days, from February 16 to 23.