Berhampur: The Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district has become a significant nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles, prompting wildlife enthusiasts and experts to advocate for the creation of a dedicated turtle research center in the vicinity to study these marine creatures.

This appeal was made during a gathering held on May 23, coinciding with 'World Turtle Day', at Purunabandh, located near the river mouth. The event was organized by the Khallikote forest range.

"It is crucial for the government to accelerate the proposal for establishing a turtle research center close to the rookery," stated Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary of the Rushikulya sea turtle protection committee, which focuses on the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles.

According to sources, the Forest department has earmarked approximately 3.5 acres of government land near Purunabandh for the proposed center.

Several speakers at the meeting highlighted that the active involvement of local communities in the conservation efforts has led to the Rushikulya river mouth becoming a prominent nesting site. This year, a remarkable number of around nine lakh Olive Ridley turtles came to the beach for mass nesting in two distinct phases.

In the first phase, from February 16 to 23, a total of 698,698 Olive Ridley turtles laid their eggs along a five-kilometer stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar. In the second phase, from March 22 to 27, over 205,000 turtles nested in the same area, as reported by Dibya Shankar Behera, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) in charge of the Khallikote range.

He also noted that a record number of baby Olive Ridley turtles successfully hatched and made their way to the sea, aided by forest staff and local volunteers.

Anil Mohapatra, a senior scientist with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), explained that Olive Ridley turtles tend to return to the Rushikulya rookery for nesting due to its protective environment.

He mentioned that between 2021 and 2023, around 12,000 female turtles were tagged by the ZSI and the forest department at the Rushikulya rookery to track their movements. "We have recaptured over 553 of them at the same site, indicating their preference for returning to this rookery for mass nesting," he added.

Shankar Naryan Bez, coordinator of the district Eco-Club, praised the community's involvement in the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles near the Rushikulya river mouth.