Bhubaneswar: Over 1 crore hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles have already come out of their nests and gone into the sea along Odisha coast in the last few days.
Several lakh Olive Ridleys had visited different sea beaches along the coast as part of their annual sojourn this year. They had dug up pits and laid eggs there before going back into the sea, Forest Department personnel informed.
It is estimated that around 11.64 lakh Olive Ridleys laid eggs at Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district, Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam and Devi estuary area in Puri this year, the sources said.
While 6.37 lakh turtles laid eggs in Rushikulya, their number was 5.26 lakh at Gahirmatha. They expected that around 2 crore more baby turtles will hatch along the coast before the end of this year’s nesting season.
