Dikhyaa Mohanty 
In a stunning natural occurrence that raises awareness of Odisha’s marine biodiversity worldwide, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja saw the mass hatching of endangered Olive Ridley turtles at the Rushikulya river mouth rookery in Ganjam district on Monday. Ahuja saw young turtles moving naturally toward the Bay of Bengal after escaping from their eggs. A rainstorm on Sunday night caused a little hiccup in the mass hatching, which started last Thursday. However, authorities said that several hatchlings were seen traveling to the sea in the early hours of Monday.
The Chief Secretary spoke with local forest authorities during his visit and gave them instructions to increase protection and monitoring, particularly in preparation for the second phase of mass hatching, which is anticipated to occur in the second week of May. During the inspection, senior forest authorities were in attendance. Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati praised the forest department’s efforts to preserve this internationally significant nesting spot after seeing the same phenomena at the Rushikulya shore the day before.
Millions of hatchlings have been heading to the sea over the last five days, marking the conclusion of the first hatching period, according to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Berhampur. With more than 9 lakh Olive Ridley turtles laying eggs at the rookery this year, the celebration comes after an amazing nesting season. Over 2.05 lakh turtles nested during a second nesting season from March 22 to 27, after approximately 6,98,698 turtles nested over a five-kilometer stretch between Podampeta and Bateswar from February 16 to 23. Officials anticipate a record number of successful hatchling migrations as the second wave of hatching approaches. To protect the young turtles from predators and environmental dangers, conservation experts keep a 24-hour watch on the rookery.
