Odisha: Record Number of Olive Ridley Turtles Lay Eggs at Rushikulya Rookery

Berhampur: Around seven lakh Olive Ridley turtles have laid eggs at the Rushikulya rookery in Odisha’s Ganjam district so far in the current nesting season creating a record for the mass nesting site.

According to the Forest Department sources, 6,98,718 Olive Ridley turtles have laid eggs on the beach till February 23, beating the record set in 2023 of 637,000 at the Rushikulya rookery.

The mass nesting in Rushikulya river mouth, one of the world’s major rookeries, began on February 16. Due to the favorable climatic conditions, record number of Olive Ridley turtles visited the Rushikulya rookery this year.

Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest species of marine turtles that normally lay eggs in Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches of Odisha.

The Ryshikulya beach in Ganjam district, is one of the world’s largest nesting sites, apart from the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.