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Video of Thousands of Olive Ridley Turtles Landing on Indian Coast of Odisha Leave Netizens in Awe

New Delhi (Sputnik): Thousands of Olive Ridley Turtles come ashore on the Odisha coast on the Bay of Bengal every year at a beach in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The small strip of land is an ideal nesting place for the turtles as there are no predators or humans nearby.
Sputnik

Over the weekend, thousands of turtles from the Olive Ridley family reached the coastline of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal for nesting season. The turtles dig sand, lay egs and cover it with leaves in an attempt to keep the eggs warm enough for healthy hatching. 

This particular species of chelonian is not only the most abundant family of sea turtles on Earth, but also the second smallest in terms of size. In 2019, an estimated 470,000 turtles had nested in these region. 

On Monday, pictures and videos from Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district surfaced on social media, sending netizens sitting at home trying to stay safe from the spread of Coronavirus -- into a less gloomy world.

​An international tourist in Goa carved out a piece of huge sand art of an Olive Ridley turtle on a beach, pictures of which also made the rounds on social media.

In a bid to protect turtles during nesting time, the state government has imposed a ban on fishing inside the sanctuary until May 31. The government has also deployed dozens of forest guards to protect the turtles and their eggs. 

 

 

 

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