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KENDRAPARA, India — Sporadic nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtles started recently at the three major rookeries at Devi river mouth, Rushikulya and Gahiramatha beach, the world’s largest nesting sites of the sea turtles.
About 200 turtles have laid eggs within a week at the three sites and more turtles would be arriving for mating and laying eggs for which the forest officials and turtle researchers are on high alert to protect them, said a forest officer.
Turtle researchers, environmentalists, scientists of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, and forest officials are monitoring the movement of turtles at the three major nesting sites.
To protect the eggs from predators, the Forest Department established hatcheries at Aagarnasi, Pentha and Babubali within Gahiramatha and Jahania and Sarana beaches within Devi river mouth. The forest guards are collecting eggs from pits and putting them in the hatcheries. All the hatcheries are covered with plastic nets to prevent the entry of any predators.
The sporadic nesting indicates that the mass nesting would start earlier this year, maybe in a month, said a senior forest official of Gahiramatha marine sanctuary. Last year about 1.46 lakh turtles laid eggs on the Gahiramatha beach.
The forest officials established 19 turtle protection camps, including three on the sea, and deployed five trawlers and two platoons of police to protect the turtles.
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