Endangered turtles begin mass nesting at Odisha beaches

Thousands of endangered Olive Ridley turtles have in an annual ritual come ashore from the Bay of Bengal in Odisha to lay eggs, officials said on Friday.

While 15,000 turtles were spotted gathering at Gahirmatha beach in the Kendrapada district, more than 10,000 turtles on Thursday climbed ashore at Rushikulya beach in the Ganjam district, they said.

Over half a million Olive Ridley turtles arrive and congregate in the shallow coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal in November and climb ashore for nesting between December and March. Most hatchlings emerge by May.

Gahirmatha, 170 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, is one of the world's largest turtle nesting sites. Local authorities said many camps have been set up at the nesting sites to protect the endangered turtles.