BHUBANESWAR: This year, an air of uncertainty hangs over the arrival of Olive Ridley sea turtles along the Odisha coast. With nesting grounds not available yet, wildlife experts are apprehensive about mass nesting (arribada) occurring anytime soon. Gahirmatha under Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and Rushikulya river mouth are the two major rookeries apart from the Devi river mouth where sporadic nesting takes place. However, this year, the beach profile is such that mass nesting may not take place soon at the sites. Sources revealed that the nesting beach at Rushikulya mouth has eroded as the river has changed its course. “The original beach near Purunabandha is eaten away by the river. There is no place for the turtles to nest although their mating behaviour is perfectly normal,” said sources in Wildlife Wing. The marine turtles have been spotted in the high sea in abundance and wildlife officials, patrolling the waters, have found their mating behaviour to be normal. Where would they nest is a big question though. The marine species may switch to a new location, either in the north or down the south, but it is uncertain where the nesting would take place. The Berhampur Forest Division had, in the past, created a cordoned area near Purunabandha where netted fence had been erected to keep predators at bay. However, the site no longer exists in good condition because the river has moved away and its mouth is at a different location. “We can only keep our fingers crossed and wait for them because there is still time and the beach formation could take place,” said a senior official. At Gahirmatha, the pattern is different. The sand bars that are created by the tidal action and wind have not occurred yet. The Olive Ridleys need a certain softness of sand so that they can dig pits for nesting. The gradient of the beach has to be perfect for these highly-intelligent species and it has not happened yet. Similarly, the wind direction has been northerly which keeps the weather cooler than normal. “The accretion that needs to occur at the beach has not been possible so far,” said an official. Last year, Gahirmatha had witnessed nesting by this time of the year. The Wildlife Wing pins its hopes on the fact that mass nesting occurred very late in the past years. In the last season, at least 7.24 lakh turtles had arrived for mass nesting at Gahirmatha and Rushikulya rookeries. Besides, sporadic nesting had also occurred along the coast in six wildlife divisions. The Forest and Environment Department had claimed a drop in the mortality rate, the reason behind good nesting last year. In 2001-02, the total mortality stood at 13,000 which came down to 3,000 last season.
Comments
0 comment