As the morning light broke on February 16, the contingent of forest field staff, volunteers from local communities, conservationists as well as researchers were delighted to see a stream of Olive Ridley turtles dawdling onto the inclines of Rushikulya beach of Ganjam district in Odisha. A little over 11,000, the army of sea turtles brought a sense of relief. The last season had reported a zero turnout.
Over the next two days, however, the happiness turned into amazement as the approximately 10-km-long beach – from New-Podampeta to Agasti Nuagaon – was crawling with mother Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arriving in wave after wave. It was a wonder of nature, a spectacle. Soon pictures and videos of the ‘arribada,’ Spanish term for mass arrival by sea, went viral, drawing awe from one and all.
