Olive Ridley wave sweeps Odisha's Gahirmatha beach, incredible photos here

Around 2.45 lakh female turtles crawled onto the seashore to dig pits with flippers on Friday. (Image: Jagyandatt Pati via Twitter)

”We’re expecting a large congregation for the next two-three days and the mass nesting is likely to continue at least for a week,” he said. There were apprehensions that the olive ridley turtles, which derives their name from the colour of the shell, might skip their annual visit as the mass nesting was delayed by around a fortnight.

Mass nesting of Olive Ridleys at Gahirmatha Odisha. (Image: Jagyandatt Pati via Twitter)

Last year, 3,49,694 female turtles had turned up at the nesting grounds to lay eggs from March 9 to March 23. The females virtually invade the nesting beaches, usually at the dead of the night, for laying eggs. They usually lay around 120-150 eggs and return to the sea, another official said.

 

Hatchlings usually emerge after 45-60 days. Out of every 1,000 hatchlings that enter the sea, only one manages to reach adulthood, according to official data.

Illegal egg poaching, turtle harvesting and nest destruction by humans are some of the major threats these reptiles face, apart from climate change, the officials said. The Forest Department has been prioritising the safety of the nests, with wildlife staff on round-the-clock vigil to keep predators like jackals, hyenas and wild dogs at bay, they said.