Millions of Olive Ridley Turtles Trail Along Odisha’s Rushikulya Beach

The Rushikulya Beach in Odisha was recently flooded by millions of baby Olive Ridley Turtles who had just hatched from their eggs and started crawled towards the Bay of Bengal.

Earlier in March 2023, over 6 lakh turtles came ashore to lay their eggs at the Rushikulya beach which is 5 kilometers long. This was the highest number of turtles witnessed for mass nesting in the past few decades. Special attention was given towards the eggs by the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee to ensure that the eggs do not get damaged during the incubation period by animals.

While these turtles usually take about three to four days for mass nesting, this year it took them nine days to do so. After burying their eggs in the sand, the turtles went  back into the sea. About 50 days later, when the baby turtles emerged from the eggs, they started their journey by crawling towards the sea.