Lakhs of baby Olive Ridley turtles broke out of their eggshells and crawled towards the Bay of Bengal without their mothers at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district. The mass hatching, which is underway over the last three days, marks the culmination of the annual sojourn of the Olive Ridley turtles.
‘Arribada’ or the annual journey of the Olive Ridley turtles to Gahirmatha, the world’s largest nesting site for the aquatic species, to lay eggs ended on March 9, with as many as 5.12 lakh female turtles turning up this year, officials said.
“The hatching of Olive Ridley turtles lasts for seven to 10 days. The number of babies breaking out of their shells would swell considerably over the next few days,” an official of the Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Division said.
