Mass nesting of Olive Ridley Turtlesat Rushikulya Beach

Olive Ridley’s turtles will not be disturbed by humans during mass nesting due to COVID-19. More than 70,000 Olive Ridley arrived at the Rushikulya rookery this year for mass nesting.

Last year, the mass nesting did not take place in Rushikulya due to cyclone Titliand floods that followed it. But this year, according to Odisha wildlife organization (OWO), 50% of the Ridleys were estimated to arrive atState’s coast for nesting. That’s why the state cleaned cyclone debris.

Olive Ridley sea turtles are also known as Pacific Ridley sea turtles. It belongs to the cheloniidaeturtle family. Olive Ridley is the second smallest species of all sea turtles in the world. These are commonly found in warm and tropical ocean like Pacific, Indian and also in andthe AtlanticOcean. This turtle is best known for its unique way of mass nesting called arribada; the females come to the same beach to lay their eggs. The eggs are incubated for around 45 days in the heat of the sand. Their IUCN status is Vulnerable.

Mother turtles come on the coast before the season of mass nesting to assess the condition of the coastline. Forest department imposesa restriction on the entry of tourists and visitors over 3 km stretch so that people do not disturb or hinder the mass nesting process of Olive Ridley’s sea turtles.