“The Olive Ridley Turtles at Rushikulya Rookery and Gahirmatha in Orissa : A Serene Delight to enthrall”

It all started way back in 1993 when biologists and conservationist from the department of Forestry in Orissa with that of the Wild Life Institute of India congregated together on the banks of Rushikulya river, in Ganjam District of Orissa. It was learnt that Rushikulya has become a large scale nesting ground for the Olive Ridley Turtles.This area was thereby declared the largest mass nesting (Arribada) sites for the Olive Ridley Turtles in India.
It is the single most important breeding area for the Olive Ridley Turtles along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean is Orissa. The Rushikulya river mouth is also said to be the second largest nesting site of the Olive Ridley Turtles in the World after the Gahirmatha beach.
Since 1994 this rare specie of Olive Ridley Turtles have been observed and found to be laying lakhs of eggs along the beach. As per government data during this season more than 2,80,000 of eggs had been sighted at the beach along the sea coast located at a distance of around 30 kms from the coastal town of Gopalpur, in Ganjam district.
It's a boon for the Olive Ridley Turtles that they are thriving in this area without any threat from the local communities because as per Hindu Mythology, Sea Turtles are said to be an incarnation of one of the Gods.
In 1995, the WII initiated a research survey on the Olive Ridleys along the coast of Rushikulya. As a part of the program the youths from the local fishermen communities were trained and helped in the tagging of the Sea Turtles for their protection during the nesting and hatching season.
Added to the delight is the sight of Blue whales being spotted in the seas off Rushikulya mouth in the Bay of Bengal. Therefore Rushikulya Mouth is thought to be one of the easiest places to watch the mesmerising Blue whales.
Recently,the sighting of these mammoth blue whales in the coast of Orissa have been reported by Mr Rabindra Nath Sahu, the Secretary of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee who along with his team of RSTPC is completely devoted in the protection and rehabilitation of the olive Ridleys. According to Mr Sahu, the Blue Whales have been spotted in the Sea during the months April, May and June. Expressing his enjoyment and thrill he exclaimed that watching Olive Ridleys are always a pleasure but seeing a Blue Whale as well is an added bonus and a dream come true .
The Blue Whales are the largest mammal on earth and can grow upto 110 feet and weigh somewhere around 180 tonnes. The Rushikulya river mouth is turning into a probable hot spot for the nature and marine animal lovers .One can have the view of Turtles, Blue Whales and the Irrawaddy Dolphins as well.
To promote more of this Eco Tourism the hoteliers, Tour operators and the marine fishermen have joined hands on the Rushikulya rookery coast.
They all have taken up this initiative with the full support of the Department of forest and Tourism.
It has been decided as well to form an eco-tourism club in Ganjam district of Orissa.
To make things better an initiative has also been taken to make Podampeta the site for tourists and travelers during the nesting season of the Olive Ridleys without even harming their mass nesting site .
A proposal is also going the rounds that with the very help of the Tourism Department 10 tents would be erected with the basic amenities being provided near the coast for the tourists who are enthusiast enough to watch nesting of the turtles during night. The best part of this proposal is that the Local Women Self Help groups (WSHG) would basically cater to this Eco Tourism Project and they would be trained for the purpose .