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Journalism of Courage
Odisha’s Rushikulya beach has witnessed mass hatching of Olive Ridley turtles as hundreds of hatchlings came out of the nests buried in the sand to crawl towards the sea.
A clip shared by ANI showed a large number of hatchlings heading to the sea while waves lashed the shore on Wednesday.
“Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles make their way to the sea after hatching from their nests buried in sand at Odisha’s Rushikulya beach yesterday, June 1st,” tweeted ANI.
Watch the video here:
Netizens were delighted to watch the endangered species of sea turtles venturing into the sea in unison. The clip shared six hours ago has garnered more than 2 lakh views so far. “Beauty of nature,” commented a user.
https://twitter.com/AmitS1717/status/1532125379036532737
https://twitter.com/IncredibleKams/status/1532184620153704449
https://twitter.com/Praveen_Bablu/status/1532117114005336064
Videos and photographs featuring the arrival of a large number of Olive Ridley turtles to lay and bury their eggs in Gahirmatha and Rushikulya rookeries in the eastern state had thrilled conservationists in March this year.
The incubation period for turtle eggs may vary in different regions. The hatchlings start appearing in India by May usually and they are seen crawling toward the sea. The mother turtles never return to the nest after laying their eggs in sand burrows. Their synchronised mass nesting is known as arribada, a Spanish term meaning “arrival by sea”.
They feed on jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp and occasionally eat algae and seaweed. Hatchlings are vulnerable and can be eaten by crabs, raccoons, pigs, snakes, and birds while sharks prey on adults. Fishing nets, being slaughtered for their meat and skin, and seizing of their eggs pose threat to the species while there are several measures taken by many governments to protect them, according to National Geographic.
