Though there was positive sign of mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Bhtarakanika a fortnight back, but now things have changed a lot. The forest personnel of the park are now apprehensive about the nesting phenomenon.
Ranger Subrat Kumar Patra ruled out possibility of turtle nesting at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary this year. Though, a week back Olive Ridely sea turtles were in the coast, but now they seem to have returned to the deep sea. Patra attributed it to several reasons, primarily the ongoing heat wave of the last fortnight.
Though southern wind continues to blow with a good speed at the coast, but the turtles might have died due to the rise in temperature in the early summer.
In last half a decade or so, it has been witnessed that the Olive Ridley sea turtles generally climb to the sandy beaches of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in March. Even, it has been seen in couple of times that turtle also laid eggs enmass in the month of April too. But the rise of mercury has now become a major impediment, the Ranger stated.
The forest personnel also attributed that as more than a half km long sand bar has been formed at Nasi -II beach, the favourite nesting place of these marine species, so the turtle might have failed to negotiate with the nesting beach for laying eggs.
The shrinking of beaches over the years has also been another reason for the endangered sea turtles to skip the mass nesting this time. Only 51,879 female Olive Ridley sea turtles had come to Nasi-II beach for laying eggs between March 16 and 21.