CANACONA
When a large number of onlookers converged at one place in Agonda beach on Wednesday, it had nothing to do with the sea, sun or even sand.
They were drawn to a rare incident, when a female Olive Ridley turtle visited Agonda beach in broad daylight on Wednesday morning to lay about 150 eggs, before returning to the sea.
Agonda beach is one of three turtle nesting protected sites in the State and the beach is always abuzz with hundreds of tourists visiting the beach at any given time of the day.
According to eyewitnesses, the Olive Ridley turtle suddenly arrived from the sea, much to the amazement of tourists and residents as they were glued to the movement of the turtle.
The turtle quickly turned into a celebrity, as tourists and locals rushed with their mobile phones to capture the rare moment.
Ignoring the prying eyes and mobile phone cameras, the turtle proceeded straight to the shore and finally stopped to dig a pit to lay her eggs.
The female Olive Ridley turtle is reported to have laid about 150 eggs in the pit and then covered the pit, before proceeding its slow but determined walk back to the sea.
Two delighted forest officials manning the Nature Interpretation Centre close to the pit quickly shifted all 150-odd Olive Ridley eggs and buried them in a pit close to the Centre, where eight other pits have been protected during the current turtle nesting season.
Residents also informed The Goan that another turtle had earlier visited Agonda shore on Tuesday night and had also laid eggs, before disappearing into the sea.
According to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary RFO Vishwanath Pingulkar, the two turtle nesting sites in Canacona have 15 pits presently protected by forest officials.
“Though both beaches have received turtle eggs late into the nesting season, Galgibaga has six turtle pits and Agonda has nine. This is very encouraging as compared to the last few years, where there had been a decline over the years due to tourism activities,” said a forest source.
A local from Agonda, who witnessed the Olive Ridley turtle on Wednesday, said it was an unforgettable experience.
“It was a delight to watch the turtle, least bothered about the buzz of enthusiastic onlookers, crawling to lay eggs and then returning back with same grace.”
“This proves that despite the so-called disturbances of tourism activities, nature has its own way to bloom and multiply. We should only ensure that people avoid poaching of turtle eggs, so that there is no threat of extinction of these beautiful Olive Ridley turtles,” said the resident.
