Olive Ridley turtle nesting season picks up

DESPITE mass strandings of Olive Ridley turtles along the Andhra Pradesh coast in January, nesting activity has remained steady in February, with turtles continuing to arrive on the shores to lay eggs.

- USHA PERI @ Visakhapatnam

To aid conservation efforts, the Forest Department has set up four hatcheries along the Visakhapatnam coast at RK Beach, Sagar Nagar, Uppada, and Pedanagamayyapalem. So far, 262 nests containing 26,630 eggs have been relocated to these ex-situ hatcheries for protection.

In Vizianagaram, 213 nests with 23,632 eggs have been recorded, while in Bapatla, five nests with a total of 607 eggs have been relocated. On Hope Island, the total nest count stands at 85 as of Wednesday.