Rushikulya coast: Olive Ridleys

Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 threat are saving lakhs of Olive Ridley turtles from possible intrusion by humans, especially tourists.

About Olive Ridley Turtle:

• The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans
• The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Olive ridley sea turtles though considered the most abundant still they have declined by more than 30% from historic levels.
• These turtles are considered endangered because of their few remaining nesting sites in the world.

 Key Points:

• According to reptile experts, female Olive Ridleys do not lay eggs after mating if they do not find a suitable location for the purpose.
• Olive ridley turtles are best known for their behaviour of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed arribadas.
•  In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups near Gahirmatha in Odisha.
• The Gahirmatha Beach in Kendrapara district of Odisha (India), is a part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and it is the largest breeding ground for these turtles.
• At least 50% of the world population of Olive Ridley turtles arrives at the state’s coasts for nesting, according to the Odisha Wildlife Organisation ( OWO). 

Threat posed to them:

•  The threat comes from fishing boats which accidentally catch hatchings in their nets.
•  Even if eggs grow into hatchlings, they have to face the odds against the ocean.
•  The little critters are a meal ticket for birds and crabs.
• They also face threat from dogs and other predators.

Efforts made for safe nesting:

• There had been regular cleaning of the beach long before mass nesting commenced.
•  The Forest Department also set up 11 off-shore camps to monitor the beach.
•  The Forest Department takes the help of fishermen and volunteers to keep dogs and other predators at bay.
•  The Forest Department also deploys boats to monitor the ocean and keep fishing vessels at bay.
• This year, the state cleaned cyclone debris and prepared hatcheries for the turtles in hope that they would return.
• Proper maintenance of cleanliness and efforts made for protection are major reasons for the large scale mass nesting of Olive Ridleys at Rushikulya this year. 

Impact of Covid 19:

• Restrictions on human movement during the COVID-19 threat have saved lakhs of Olive Ridley turtles from possible intrusion.
• According to the Forest Department, a large number of mother turtles have nested at the coast.

Source- The Hindu