Berhampur, March 15 Mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles began at the Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district in the early hours of Sunday, with over 10,000 turtles laying eggs along the sandy beach, forest officials said.
According to Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Sunny Khokkar, around 10,220 female Olive Ridley turtles emerged from the Bay of Bengal under moonlit skies, and laid eggs along a 2.5-km-long beach near the river mouth on the first day of the mass nesting event, locally known as ‘arribada’.
The mass nesting was followed by sporadic nesting by over 5,700 turtles, he said.
Wildlife experts said the phenomenon is likely to continue for a few more days as beach and weather conditions remain favourable.
Officials noted that the nesting began about a month later than last year. In 2025, the first phase of ‘arribada’ started on February 15 and continued till February 22, while the second phase took place from March 21 to March 27, during which over 9.04 lakh turtles laid eggs, according to forest department data.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (Berhampur) Vishwanath Neelannavar said February to April is generally considered the ideal period for mass nesting at the Rushikulya rookery.
To safeguard the nesting site, the forest department has deployed 10 protection squads and restricted visitor access to the entire four-km stretch of the beach. Entry points have been set up at Gokharkuda and Podampeta to regulate visitors.
An awareness camp has also been established at Bateshwar beach.
Assistant Conservator of Forests Diby Shankar Behera said the area has been fenced to prevent predators such as wild dogs and jackals, while round-the-clock surveillance is being maintained to protect the eggs.
During nesting, female turtles crawl onto the beach, dig pits in the sand and lay around 100 to 150 eggs each before covering them with sand and returning to the sea. The eggs typically hatch after 45-50 days, though the mother turtles do not remain to witness the emergence of hatchlings.