Mass hatching of Olive Ridley eggs begins at Rushikulya rookery near Berhampur city

Mass hatching of Olive Ridley eggs started on the Rushikulya rookery coast from Tuesday night. According to localites, mass hatching of the Olive Ridley eggs by was delayed by almost more than a week. Mass hatching has started on slow rate and it is likely to gain pace in next few days.

Volunteers setting the hatched Olive Ridley turtles free near the sea at the Rushikulya river mouth rookery near Gokharakuda in Ganjam district

Usually the Olive Ridley eggs, buried in sand, hatch on their own in 45 to 50 days. But this time the eggs in the Olive Ridley nests on the Ruhsikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of south showed signs of delay in hatching. This year mass hatching of Olive Ridley eggs at this coast is expected to occur in 56 to 60 days.

It may be noted that the Rushikulya rookery coast is one of the major nesting sites of Olive Ridleys on Indian coast line.

This year record number of mother Olive Ridleys nested on this coast. This year more than three lakh mother Olive Ridleys laid their eggs at the coast. The mass nesting, started on February 12, continued for around a week and on February 15, mass nesting also took place during day time which was unique. The mother turtles get back to sea after laying their eggs and the eggs incubate by the heat of the sand.

According to Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) G. Prakashchand, changes in soil temperature due to climatic changes during incubation period have led to delay in hatching. The Forest Department established two hatcheries for monitored incubation of Olive Ridley eggs. One of them located near Purunabandha was for scientific studies. Eggs collected from nests at places other than the mass nesting site were collected for monitored incubation at the hatchery near Ramayapatna.

Normal span

The ACF has attributed the extension of incubation period to drizzles that the region experienced in last part of February. According to experts, if the sand temperature remains between 28 degree and 30 degree centigrade then the Olive Ridley eggs hatch in 45 to 50 days, which is the normal span of incubation and hatching. But with lowering of sand temperature the incubation period gets extended.

Preparations have been made not to let newborn hatchlings stray out towards the land rather than going into the sea. Net walls have been put on the coast on a stretch of around four km. Apart from the forest officials, people from Purunabandh and Gotharkuda villages near the coast are also involved in protection of Olive Ridey nests and hatchlings.  Source: The Hindu