Olive Ridley Turtles Begin Mass Nesting at Rushikulya Coast

Berhampur: Thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles arrived at the Rushikulya river mouth early Sunday morning, marking the beginning of the annual mass nesting season along Odisha’s coast.

Forest officials said around 10,220 female turtles emerged from the Bay of Bengal and laid eggs along a 2.5-km stretch of beach near the river mouth on the first day of the mass nesting event, popularly known as arribada. The nesting activity was followed by sporadic nesting by over 5,700 turtles later in the day.

Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Sunny Khokkar said the mass nesting may continue for the next few days as the beach and weather conditions remain favourable for the turtles.

Officials noted that this year’s nesting has started about a month later than last year. In 2025, the first phase of arribada at the rookery began on February 15 and continued until February 22, followed by another phase between March 21 and March 27 during which more than 9.04 lakh turtles laid eggs.

Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (Berhampur) Vishwanath Neelannavar said the period between February and April is generally considered ideal for mass nesting at the Rushikulya rookery.

To ensure the safety of the nesting turtles and their eggs, the forest department has deployed 10 protection squads and restricted visitor access along a four-kilometre stretch of the beach. Entry points have been set up at Gokharkuda and Podampeta to regulate visitors, while an awareness camp has been established at Bateshwar Beach.

Assistant Conservator of Forests Diby Shankar Behera said the nesting site has been fenced to prevent predators such as wild dogs and jackals. Officials are also maintaining round-the-clock surveillance to protect the eggs.

During the nesting process, 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 generally hatch after 45 to 50 days, though the mother turtles do not remain to witness the emergence of the hatchlings.