THOUGH CARCASSES of rare Olive Ridley turtles had been dound on the sea beach near Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district of Odisha, this is for the first time that hundreds of carcasses of endangered turtles were spotted. To the surprise of many, turtles had arrived at the rookery earlier this season and thousands of turtles have been spotted on the beach as mating season is yet to start.   

According to local sources, more than 100 carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles had been found lying on the sea beach near Gokharkuda and Nulianuagaon in Ganjam district. As per eye witnesses, turtles might have been victims of unchecked tralwer movements for fishing actvities in the sea near Rushikulya river mouth in the Bay of Bengal.

A few days back, some trawlers had breached the restricted boundary and were fishing close to the coastline resulting in an altercation between local fishremen and outsiders. Despite patrolling to check the fishing within the restricted region, trawlers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal allegeldy venture into the coastline for fishing.