Olive Ridleys arrive for mating at Rushikulya

BERHAMPUR: Pairs of mating Olive Ridley turtles have begun emerging on near the mouth of river Rushikulya, one of the major rookeries in the state, marking the beginning of the breeding of these endangered animals.

“We saw several pairs of Olive Ridleys near the Rushikulya river mouth on Thursday around 20 km away from the coast,” said divisional forest officer, Berhampur, S S Mishra.

Their arrival for the annual mating was delayed by a few days. “The reason might be the delay in the arrival of winter,” said Mishra. Rushikulya river mouth is said to be the second largest rookery in the world for Olive Ridleys after the famous Gahiramatha beach in Kendrapara district. Devi river mouth is also another rookery, where thousands of Olive Ridleys arrive for nesting. “We have made elaborate arrangements for their protection and safe mating,” said the DFO.

While fishing was banned in the area, the forest and fishery departments intensified patrolling to crackdown on illegal fishing and entry of trawlers. Gopalpur Port Limited has been provided a speed boat this time for patrolling, the DFO said. He said at least nine camps had been set up to look into the movements of the Olive Ridleys at the Rushikulya river mouth.