The Odisha Forest Department clamped a prohibition on entry into nesting grounds of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles on Wednesday amid disturbing reports of visitors distracting the marine animals with photo and video shoots.

Stating that these activities come under the definition of ‘hunting’ by the Wildlife Protection Act, the department directed three forest divisions to close nesting grounds for visitors till baby turtles emerge from the nests dug out by turtles on the sandy beaches.

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“It is seen that visitors going to mass nesting sites of Olive Ridley sea turtles to observe the phenomena of nesting and hatchling emergence are using bright lights for observation, photography, and videography of turtles. These activities together with crowding of the nesting sites would be disturbing the normal process of turtle nesting hatchling emergence to a great extent,” Susant Nanda, the principal chief conservator of Forest (PCCF) Wildlife stated in an official order.

Olive Ridley sea turtle is protected under schedule-1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the aforementioned activities come under the definition of ‘hunting’ as per provisions of section-2 (16) prohibited under section-9 of the said act, it said.

“Given the above, it is ordered that all mass nesting sites of Olive Ridley sea turtles shall be closed for visitors forthwith during the period of mass nesting till the emergence of hatchlings is completed,” the order concluded.

The Gahirmatha rookery in Kendrapara district is widely regarded as the World’s largest beach of olive turtles. The Olive turtles turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year anytime between February to March. Apart from Gahirmatha, these threatened aquatic animals turn up at the Rushikulya river mouth and the Devi river mouth for mass nesting.

It’s only the female turtles that turn up at the nesting beaches usually in the dead of the night to lay eggs, the phenomenon otherwise described as ‘arribada’. After indulging in instinctive egg-laying, the turtles leave the nesting ground to stride into the deep seawater. Hatchlings emerge from these eggs after 45-60 days. It is a rare natural phenomenon where the babies grow without their mother, said officials.