Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles head to sea after hatching; video surfaces

Weeks after the mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles along the Odisha coast, the eggs began to hatch and on Friday conservationists posted videos of thousands of baby turtles making their way to the sea. The beautiful sight of the thousands of turtles crawling into the sea was trending on social media.

As of late March, Olive Ridley turtles settled in the Gahirmatha and Rushikulya rookery in the eastern state and laying their eggs in the sand. Officials said that from the start of May, the tiny hatchlings began emerging from the sand and making their journey towards the water without facing any human interference.

A sight that casts magical spell year after year👍

Nearly 2 crore plus olive Ridley hatchlings have emerged & made their way to sea from half of about 4 lakh nesting at Nasi-2 islands, Gahirmatha rookery Odisha.

The spectacle continues. Early morning video. pic.twitter.com/C0IKTWNCko

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) May 8, 2020

“Nearly 2 crore plus olive Ridley hatchlings have emerged & made their way to sea from half of about 4 lakh nesting at Nasi-2 islands, Gahirmatha rookery Odisha,” tweeted Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer from Odisha.  Describing it as “a sight that casts a magical spell year after year,” the officer shared a clip of the hatchlings making their way to the sea.

Lockdown lifted for our guests at one more rookery of Olive Ridley in Odisha coast yesterday night👍

Hatchlings of sea turtle started comming out of nests from the mass nesting site at Gokharakuda beach of Rushikulya delta.

The magical spell of seaward journey will continue. pic.twitter.com/bVElxC1JMX

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) May 8, 2020

The forest officer posted one video from the morning, and in another clip showed how the hatchlings came out of the sand at night.

The official handle of the Divisional Forest Officer of Bhadrak also shared a video showing in detail how the baby turtles leave the nest after eggs hatch, and try to get to the water.

The handle also shared a video to let people know how the turtles build their nests during the mass nesting.

In last week of March, Nanda had tweeted that “little less than 8 lakhs have laid eggs till now” and the department estimated around six crore eggs having been laid along the coast. On Friday morning, officials said over 2 crore hatchlings were spotted.

People on social media were delighted to see the videos and celebrated the news.

The Olive Ridley turtle gets its name from the colour of its shell which is an olive green hue. The World Wildlife Fund website says that they are the most abundant of all sea turtles but are vulnerable because they nest in very few places. This means any disturbance on the beaches that they nest can impact the entire population.