Berhampur (Odisha), Feb. 24 -- The mouth of the Rushikulya river in Odisha's Ganjam district has emerged as a major rookery for the endangered olive ridley turtles with over 6.82 lakh such marine species assembling for mass nesting, officials said on Sunday.
The mass nesting of the turtles in the Rushikulya river mouth commenced on February 16.
"Over 6.82 Lakh olive ridley turtles have laid eggs on the beach so far, surpassing the previous record of the arrival of 6.37 Lakh marine species in 2023," Berhampur divisional forest officer (DFO) Sunny Khokkar said.
A total of 6,37,008 turtles had laid eggs in eight days of mass nesting from February 23 to March 2, in 2023, while 5.50 lakh turtles laid eggs in 2022, sources said.
As the mass n...