Orissa sets up camps to protect nesting turtles
October 28th, 2010 - 12:04 am ICT by IANSBhubaneswar, Oct 27 (IANS) Orissa has begun setting up camps at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary to protect the endangered turtles which visit the state’s beaches in winter for mass-nesting, an official said Wednesday.
The wildlife department has already set up 15 camps at various places of the site located in Orissa’s Kendrapada district, some 174 km from here.
The sanctuary is considered the world’s largest rookery of Olive Ridley turtles.
“The camps will start functioning Nov 1. More than 100 volunteers and officials would be engaged to ensure that turtles do not face any trouble,” Divisional Forest Officer Manoj Mohapatra told IANS.
“Their number will gradually increase to 300 during the period,” he said, adding that about a dozen mechanised boats and vessels would also be put into service.
Similar protection measures are also under way in two other turtle nesting sites in the state. They are the Devi river mouth in Puri district and the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district.
While fishing is banned in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary area throughout the year, fishing activities will be banned near the other two sites from November to May, he said.
Around seven to eight lakh turtles arrive and congregate in the shallow coastal waters in Orissa in October-November and nest between December and March.
Every year, thousands of turtles get killed by mechanised fishing boats.
- Orissa bans fishing near turtle nesting sites - Nov 01, 2011
- As rare Olive Ridleys mate, Orissa mounts vigil - Dec 21, 2010
- Orissa bans fishing near turtle nesting sites - Nov 01, 2010
- 10 held for fishing near turtle nesting site - Jan 08, 2011
- 50,000 endangered turtles nest in Odisha's Rushikulya beach - Mar 01, 2012
- 60 dead turtles wash up on Orissa beach - Nov 25, 2009
- Wildlife institute to monitor Olive Ridley Turtles in Orissa - Jun 09, 2010
- Olive Ridleys may delay mass nesting at Odisha beach - Feb 03, 2012
- 170,000 Olive Ridley turtles lay eggs in Orissa's Gahirmatha - Mar 06, 2010
- Five arrested for fishing in marine sanctuary - Feb 21, 2010
- 15 held for fishing near famous turtle nesting site - Jan 25, 2010
- Five arrested for fishing at turtle nesting site - Dec 14, 2009
- West Bengal fishermen held for fishing at turtle site - Feb 08, 2009
- Eight Orissa men held for fishing at turtle nesting site - Nov 10, 2009
- Olive Ridley turtles begin nesting at second Orissa beach - Mar 15, 2010
Tags: beaches, endangered turtles, fishing boats, forest officer, lakh, marine sanctuary, nov 1, olive ridley turtles, orissa, protection measures, river mouth, rookery, shallow coastal waters, turtle, turtles, volunteers, wildlife department