Turtle research centre sought near Rushikulya river mouth
Berhampur: As Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district has emerged as a major rookery for Olive Ridley turtles, wildlife lovers and experts have demanded the establishment of a turtle research centre in the area to study the behaviour of the marine animal.
The demand in this regard was made at a meeting observing the 'World Turtle Day' on May 23, at Purunabandh, near the river mouth. The meeting was organised by the Khallikote forest range. 'It's high time the government take steps to expedite the proposal for setting up of turtle research centre near the rookery,' said Rabindra Nath Sahu, secretary, Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, an organisation working on conservation and protection of the Olive Ridley turtles.
The Forest department has identified around 3.5 acres of government land near Purunabandh for the establishment of the proposed centre, sources said. Many speakers at the meeting said due to the active participation of local people in the protection and conservation of the endangered sea turtles, the Rushikulya river mouth has emerged as a major rookery. A record number of around nine lakh Olive Ridley turtles visited the beach for mass nesting in two phases this year.
While 6, 98,698 Olive Ridleys had laid eggs on the beach in their first phase of mass nesting from February 16 to 23 in the 5-km stretch from Podampeta to Bateswar, over 2.05 lakh turtles had laid eggs in the same stretch in the second phase of mass nesting from March 22 to 27, said Dibya Shankar Behera, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), in-charge in Khallikote range. He said a record number of baby Olive Ridley turtles had also emerged from the pits and moved towards the sea with the help of forest staff and local volunteers.
Anil Mohapatra, senior scientist of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), said Olive Ridley turtles preferred to return to Rushikulya rookery for mass nesting due to its safety and protection. He said around 12,000 female turtles had been tagged by the ZSI and the Forest department in the 2021-23 period at Rushikulya rookery to monitor their movement. 'We have recaptured over 553 of them in the same site so far. This indicates that they preferred to revisit the rookery for mass nesting,' he added.
Shankar Naryan Bez, coordinator of district Eco-Club, lauded the community participation in the protection and conservation of Olive Ridley turtles near the Rushikulya river mouth.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Forest officials raze ‘illegal' sheds of tribals in Nagarahole wildlife range
The forest personnel on Wednesday dismantled six alleged unauthorised sheds erected inside the Attur-Kolli forest area of the Nagarahole Wildlife Range. This was in response to repeated resistance by tribal families who had occupied the land in early May and were reportedly obstructing forest department officials from accessing the site. According to Nagarahole assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Ananya Kumar, members of the tribal community entered the forest on May 5 and felled nearly 42 saplings to clear space for new shelters. 'Despite being served a notice on June 17 and given another chance on June 18 to voluntarily dismantle the new sheds, the encroachers blocked entry routes of officials,' Kumar said. 'Forest staff, under heavy police cover, accessed the area through an alternative path and proceeded with the demolition.' He said that claims by the tribal families that asserted ancestral links to the land could not be substantiated. 'The tribals claimed that they were the original inhabitants of the forest and staying since decades. But the documents available with department and surveys conducted by NGOs and even Google Maps found no human inhabitant in the area earlier. According to the Forest Rights Act, the inhabitants should have constructed their huts and cultivated the land in the forest before December 13, 2005. But there were no signs of human living, and the tribals failed to provide any proof of it,' he said, adding that the sub-division level committee (SDLC) had already rejected their land rights petition. He further said that while six new structures were demolished, six earlier sheds built in May were left untouched. Officials clarified that while the SDLC had turned down the land claims on May 22 this year, the applicants still have the right to appeal before the district level committee (DLC) within 60 days. The eviction has sparked a backlash from tribal rights activists. JA Shivu, president of the Nagarhole Adivasi Jammapale Hakku Sthapana Samithi, said the affected families had long-standing ties to the forest and had only temporarily migrated for work. 'We are not demanding any new rights from government, it is our right which is given by the Act under the Constitution but forest officials are suppressing our rights. We will take up agitation till our right is given,' he said. In a statement issued by the Karadikallu Atturu Kolli Haadi Forest Rights Committee, residents claimed they had returned to their ancestral land on May 5. 'On 17-06-2025, we, the people of Karadikallu Atturu Kolli village, been served a we should immediately destroy the they threatened that they will bring down the huts and file criminal charges against our people. This is a serious and absolute travesty of justice,' the statement read.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Croc caught from village pond
Kendrapada: A 6-ft-long male saltwater crocodile was caught by forest officials from a pond in Dangamal village within Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday. The forest department swung into action after owner of the pond, Rajesh Kumar Pati, told the forest department that a crocodile entered the pond from the nearby Balijori creek last week. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It ate fish reared by him, resulting in a huge loss. Around five forest personnel took a gruelling four hours to net the crocodile in the presence of many villagers from the pond. "I released fish fingerlings three months back in the pond by spending Rs 50,000 and hoped to make a profit by selling fish this month. But a crocodile ate many fishes. I need compensation from the forest department," said Rajesh Kumar Pati, the pond owner. The forest personnel released the crocodile into the nearby Bhitarkanika river within the park. "The crocodile did not attack humans. It was also not injured while being captured," said Manas Kumar Das, the assistant conservator of forest (ACF) of Bhitarkanika.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
Microplastics, oil and grease harming Puri's water: PCB report
Bhubaneswar: Plastic waste dumped by tourists into the sea, oil and grease from marine vessels, and coastal erosion due to unregulated development are all contributing to Puri's water quality index (WQI) dropping to poor category, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) said in a new report. Puri's WQI score slipped from 51 in 2023 to 37 in 2024, the recently released coastal health status report (2022-2024) revealed, calling for corrective measures. Experts analysing the report pointed out that measures like sewage treatment and ecosystem restoration programmes should be taken up. "Its (Puri) WQI is slightly below the permissible limit, which is why it is under the poor category. But it is not alarming and can in no way affect bathing. But measures should be taken up at the earliest," said chief environmental scientist (SPCB) Niranjan Mallick. The study focused on the entire 480 km of coastal stretch through a network of 91 designated coastal monitoring stations and 58 identified coastal outfall locations. The study covered three distinct hydrological phases — pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon, it said. "There was temporal variation in the contribution of key water quality parameters to the estuarine sea ecosystem condition in Puri district over three years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In 2022, there was a moderate level of pollutants and heavy metals (Pb, Fe, Mn) in the water, indicating a balanced condition. In 2023, parameters like DO and pH became less prominent, indicating deterioration of baseline water quality. But in 2024, faecal coliform and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) became prominent, indicating a marked increase in organic and microbial pollution," the govt report said. The in-depth coastal health report also included the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status of Olive Ridley turtles as vulnerable, and Irrawaddy and humpback dolphins as endangered. "Untreated sewage discharge from urban centres and peri-urban zones, especially during the peak pilgrimage season, is hugely responsible," it further said. Additionally, it said agricultural run-off from the Daya and Bhargavi river basins introduces excessive nitrates and phosphates. The study specifically pointed out major anthropogenic factors in Puri.
