Tourists flock to Rushikulya river for sighting dolphins

The mouth of Rushikulya river off Ganjam coast in Odisha, famous for the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles, is now being considered a spot for dolphin sightings, with tourists flocking to the coast to see them.
Last year, forest officials had sighted a number of humpback and bottle-nose species of dolphins at Kantiagada-Gokharakuda region.
Divisional forest officer (Berhampur), Ashish Kumar Behera said forest officials have recently seen a large congregation of dolphins in the area while patrolling the coastline for the protection of Olive Ridley sea turtles.
"This clearly indicates that the area is one of the potential sites for sighting different species of the dolphins," the DFO said today.

"With sighting of such numbers of dolphins once again this time, we can assume the Ganjam coast is also the potential site for different species of the sea mammal," he said, adding, "We will submit a report to the government for conservation and protection of the dolphins in the area."
The stretch between Purunabandh and Gokharakuda, on the shoreline in Ganjam district, is famous for mass nesting of millions of Olive Ridley turtles.