Bhubaneswar, March 16: A temporary ban on tourism has been enforced at the mouth of the Rushikulya river in Odisha’s Ganjam district following the commencement of the mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles along the sandy coastline .

Local forest department officials have suspended all tourist activities in the area and stationed 10 security units to protect the site. According to the Berhampur forest division, these restrictions were put in place to safeguard the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, which have gathered in large numbers to lay their eggs.

The Divisional Forest Officer shared that approximately 10,220 female Olive Ridley turtles emerged from the Bay of Bengal during the early hours of the day and laid eggs across a 2.5-kilometre stretch of beach near the river mouth. This event, known locally as Arribada, marked the beginning of the nesting season. Following the initial surge, over 5,700 turtles continued to nest individually along the coastline.

Forest officials have noted that the favorable beach and weather conditions suggest that the nesting activity could extend over several more days. However, they also pointed out that this year’s nesting season started later than usual, with the turtles arriving nearly a month behind last year's schedule.