Odisha to set up sea turtle research centre

Berhampur (Odisha): The Odisha government has decided to set up a sea turtle research centre at Purunabandh in Ganjam district, an official said on Tuesday.

The government has decided to set up the proposed centre near the mouth of the Rushikulya river as it is the second biggest mass nesting site of the Olive Ridley turtles, after Gahiramatha in Kendrapara district, he said.

It is also a convenient place for researchers.

A record number of over 6.37 lakh turtles laid eggs in the three-km long stretch from Podampeta to Bateshwar near the river mouth during the eight days of mass nesting from February 23 to March 3, 2023, the official said.

Around 3.5 acres of government land have been identified near Purunabandh to establish the proposed research centre.

The land acquisition process is under process, the official said.

"We have already submitted the concept note on the proposed research centre to the government. The architectural design is also under preparation,” the divisional forest officer (DFO) in Berhampur, Sunny Khokhar, said.

He said that once established, the centre will be the first in turtle research in the county.

Even though several premier research institutes like the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are researching sea turtles, especially Olive Ridley turtles, the country never had an exclusive centre to study the sea turtles.

The students and foreign delegates have shown their interest in the Olive Ridley turtles, which visit the Odisha coast in millions for mass nesting every year.

However, due to the non-availability of such an exclusive centre, they are unable to get detailed information about the turtles.

The proposed centre is likely to meet their curiosities, another senior forest officer said.

Though sporadic nesting has started along the coast off Ganjam, mass nesting is yet to begin at the Rushikulya River mouth this year.

“The mass nesting is likely to take place very soon, as the weather in the area is very conducive," the DFO said.

Inputs from PTI