the goan I network
CANACONA
A visit by an Olive Ridley turtle to lay eggs on Saturday night has equalled the last season’s tally of 19 nests at the Agonda Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
According to forest (wildlife) sources, the Olive Ridley turtle laid around 105 eggs on Agonda shore and they were later transferred to a pit in the vicinity of Rehabilitation Centre.
With this, the Agonda turtle site has protected 19 pits/nests so far, equalling the number of nests during the last turtle nesting season.
A forest staffer at Agonda informed as many 1,000 Olive Ridley hatchlings from 10 protected nests have already have been released to the sea this season, while the remaining nine turtle nests are still being guarded at the site.
The other turtle protected site at Galgibaga-Canacona have had only three turtle nests so far, which is among the lowest in recent years.
Considering the need to protest the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, the government has taken up a conservation programme and the forest department has fenced the coastal area at Galgibaga to ensure proper protection to turtle nests.
However, this exercise has restricted tourism activities in the area, but officials insist that the protection measures are needed as tourism activities are considered detrimental to the safety of turtles arriving to the shore to lay their eggs.
With the hatching period of 50-55 days, forest officials expect more visits by Olive Ridley turtles to lay eggs at the turtle nesting sites at Agonda and Galgibaga in Canacona.
