The coastal shores of Odisha have been the nesting ground for thousands of Olive Ridley Turtles from a long time. And as a yearly phenomenon, mating pairs of these turtles have arrived on the coasts. Around 3 to 4 kms from the Rushikulya mouth here, which is a rookery for these turtles are seeing the visitors again. And it thus becomes necessary to protect the coastal shores at all costs for an undisturbed nesting of these turtles. Pictures of these mating turtles arriving on the coast of Odisha have been shared on Twitter.

In early December, similar pairs of these sea turtles were seen emerging on the swirling sea waters off Gahirmatha in Odisha. It is one of the world's largest nesting ground of these endangered marine species. Forest officer Ankit Kumar had shared the pictures of these turtles arriving at Odisha about a month ago. The mass nesting of these turtles is called Arribada, which is Spanish word for Arrival.

See Pics of Olive Ridley Turtles Arriving Near Odisha Coast:

As mentioned, the turtle's mating season lasts for approximately two months and then the nesting begins. During last year in May, when the whole nation was in coronavirus lockdown, over crores of eggs were laid on the beaches of Odisha. Pictures of over thousands of these turtles nesting together with less disturbance went viral online.

In order to ensure a smooth nesting season, the ocean coasts need to be protected. Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan is one of the organisations that is working for the cause. The frequency to visit the beaches during this time is reduced. Only the fishermen who go here have to be made aware about the nesting season. The beaches have to be kept clean. In case of spotting any turtles, they should not be disturbed. During the night time, any lights that are visible from the beaches are switched off.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2021 03:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).