Olive Ridley Turtles (Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea) get its name from the color of its shell—an olive green hue. Their shell color changes from grayish black at the time of hatching to olive green as they get old. However, the etymology of the name “Ridley” itself is unknown. Before I dig further into my long ramblings, let me also explain to you in my capacity, the amazing phenomenon called ‘Arribada.’ Arribada is a Spanish word for ‘arrival’. The phenomenon was first recorded in Latin America and so the Spanish word stuck. Apart from Odisha, Olive Ridleys nest in similar fashion in several countries like Seychelles, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico. What sets off such a behavior and why turtles only select certain beaches remains a mystery but the Olive Ridleys continue to aggregate in huge numbers along these beaches during Arribada. Quite often, it’s just a scramble for space since the numbers only seem to congregate in a select patch on the beach. Again the reason for the congregation in such manner remains a mystery.

March 14, 2015

Finally it’s that time of the year when Olive Ridley turtles return to the Gahirmatha- Rushikulya shoreline for mass nesting from the oceans beyond Sri Lanka. They begin arriving in sporadic numbers to these beaches for mating by mid-November and is at its peak in early December. Nesting takes place 45 days after mating and hatching after 45 days of incubation period. Arribada (Mass Nesting) on a normal cycle should start by the second week of February for over a week when millions of turtles arrive to Gahirmatha-Rushikulya beaches. This year it started late believed to be the reasons owing to the geomorphic changes in beach structure after cyclone Phailin made landfall 15 kms away from the rookery and rapid erosion of coastline due to climate change.

Interestingly, mass nesting at Rushikulya river mouth had witnessed a drop over years and experts had pointed at the impact of severe cyclone Phailin which had hit Gopalpur in 2013. The landfall point of the cyclone was barely 15 km from the rookery. The storm had caused significant changes in the estuary affecting the arribara, a report by scientists of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad had revealed. The Category-5 storm had left changes in the geomorphologic structure of Rushikulya beach. As a result, only about 86,000 turtles had arrived for mass nesting last year. In 2013, around three lakh turtles had nested. [Source: Indian Express]

Also add to the factors, the beach surroundings have to be devoid of any waste or toxic substances, illegal trawlers and conditions at the beach have to be conducive enough for the nesting and subsequent hatching of eggs. And so, forest and environment department, ecological scientists, conservationist and local coastal communities participate in facilitating conservation by protecting and managing of beach surroundings for the 6 month period. I as a management student reckon the participation of local communities vital as usually the wildlife conservation methodologies ignore the social variable ie.. The coastal communities that depend on the natural resources as much as the wildlife the conservationist and local government intend to protect. The inclusion of these communities who hold the status of major stakeholders makes this process more sustainable and true community based protection and perhaps aid more in conservation of natural resources.

The mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles started on 12th of March in the Gahirmatha- Rushikulya Coastline. On the first day, sporadic nesting was observed in Gahirmatha islands and mass nesting of 10000 turtles were observed in Rushikulya. Mass nesting is usually expected to go on for a week or two. And hearing this news, priyaa and kibby jumped on my plan to witness the arribada during vacation. We were confused over Gahirmatha or Rushikulya as both are like 200 kms apart. And I later got to know Gahirmatha Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area and is not open for public. So by not taking any chances, we decided on Rushikulya. During arribada, forest officials divide the entire the gahirmatha-Rushikulya nestling coastline into several line transects for performing surveys of olive Ridley turtles gathering within a kilometer of the sandbar.

I was then skeptical and had concerns about the safety of women on the beach during late nights and so reached out to a Research Scientist, who works at Rushikulya Field Station Of CES, IISC Bangalore. I share his reply here to encourage all enthusiastic adventure loving women to go visit the place.

As advised, we booked rooms at Rambha PanthNivas. Panthanivas hotels always strikes to me as an overpriced averagely maintained affair of the Orissa Tourism Board. Certainly not this one!! Rambha Panthanivas offers an incredible view from the top floor rooms overlooking the vast Chilika Lake and the restaurant surprisingly caters tasty seafood meal.

Ramba Panthanivas is situated 25 kms away from Gokaharakuda beach near the Rushikulya river mouth. (To and fro auto Charge – 600 Rs, Auto Driver Mr. Gyana Shyam – +91-9937346132)

We were constantly in touch with the Mr. Rabindra Nath Sahu while planning the trip. Rabindra Nath Sahu (Secretary), Tel.: 06811-254148, 09437204384 Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, Purunabandha, P.O. Pallibandha, Dist. Ganjam, Orissa, India – 761026. E-mail: ridley_rabi@vsnl.com, turtle_rushikulya@yahoo.co.in

We reached Gokaharakuda village by 2.30 AM in the morning. After a distance we had to walk to the beach and local community kids walked us to the beach like travel guides explaining everything they knew, showing tracks of turtle crawls etc… Except for the half-moon light, it was pitch dark there at the beach when we got inside the protected area.

Male turtles never come on land. On the contrary, by late night (Starting 12 PM), troops of female olive Ridley sea turtles start surfacing like shiny sleepwalkers from the sea. During nesting, they use the southerly winds and the tide to help them reach the beach.

By 3 AM we found ourselves in the nature’s zoo of around 10000 “female” olive Ridley turtles lying everywhere around us. Later we got to know around 50000 Olive Ridley Turtles had arrived on the night.According to the locals, during peak time, arribada gets built to a crescendo and eyes had to be trained on the ground while walking— or one would trip over a turtle! Even for us it was the case…I almost stepped over a turtle when I backtracked while photographing. The air was sounding full of the dull thumping of flippers against the sand.

I walked further up the beach to get a spot and stationed myself near to the turtles for some close ups. It was all fascinating. To put you in perspective, let’s just say, even while photographing, we had to hold a torch and click randomly assuming we had intended object in focus.

Youtube Link: http://youtu.be/NhD-xOaCEGw

Using their flippers they were hurtling towards each other pushing aside the sand in both ways. Once they found a silent spot they would start digging. Moving the sand around them, they created a depression. The back flippers used to scoop up sand and cast it away. The flippers seemed like strong and flexible.

A few had stopped digging and were sitting silently. These were the ones preparing to lay their eggs. The position in which they lay eggs is pretty lucid. They stick their hind flippers out of carapace and position the body in a 45 degree angle. Focusing my camera at the rear end of one of the turtles, we found perfectly round and white eggs plopping out of the turtle, falling softly into the sand pit.

Once the 100 or so eggs are in the sand pit the slow process begins by covering the hole. Using their flippers again, the turtles cover their nests and later thump their heavy bodies on the sand to pack the hole tight, before they make their exhausting journey back towards the sea in a zigzag manner to confuse other species from preying on eggs.

Youtube Link : Olive Ridley Turtles Thumping Sand – Rushikulya

I followed a turtle on its way back to the sea. It seemed as though when they reach the water line they slow down allowing for a wave or two to wash the sand off them, clean and finally swim out into the ocean, leaving their babies behind, only to return next year. What remains after the turtles leaves are the eggs laid by them and their tracks as proof of their presence at night.

After the turtles leave, the beach does not indicate in no way that there are millions of eggs sleeping under the sand. At times turtles even dig the sand not knowing that there are eggs lying beneath them, resulting in wastage of eggs laid.

We stand back and watch the turtles heading back to the sea amidst the sun in the backdrop. We talk about coming back in 45 days when the hatchlings will push themselves out of their nests and make their way out to the deep oceans. We are done watching nesting and should head back home.

But before that, we did some boating in Chilika lake, saw a dolphin, few migratory birds and had a sumptuous yet cheap seafood meal at Panthanivas.

The RSTPC and Wildlife Department will now wait for next year again, for yet another arribada.

Until then, Good Bye, Papa and Mommy turtles.

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Olive Ridley Turtles Conservation status: