The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary personnel have recently sighted about thousands of mating pairs of endangered Olive Ridely sea turtles at the deep sea within Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.So surveillance in the Gahirmatha has been tightened up in the prohibited zone of the sanctuary to keep a hawk’s eye for ensuring a congenial atmosphere for the endangered marine fauna for their mating phenomenon, informed DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove Forest and wildlife Division Bikash Ranjan Dash. The mating of the Olive Ridley Sea turtle has just been started and it is expected to continue till January first week, added Dash.
The forest officials have also set up two off shore camps at Babubali and Agarnasi whereas 14 onshore camps have been constructed under Gahirmatha marine sanctuary from Dhamara to Devi mouth to restrict the illegal entry of trawlers to the sanctuary to protect the turtles.