A file photo of Olive Ridley sea turtle. (Photo credit: Wikimedia commons)
New Delhi: In a bid to promote and conserve wildlife, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the country’s premier research and development organisation working on various areas of military technology, has decided to pause missile testing at Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast starting from January to March next year.
Why no missile testing between January and March
According to a report published in The Times of India, the DRDO has chosen the specific period to ensure favourable conditions for the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, which visit the sea coast to bring new lives into the world between January and March.
How does the missile testing affect the Olive Ridley sea turtles ?
Missile testing, mechanised boats, and the movement of people severely affect the sea turtles’ mass nesting and breeding off the island.
According to Susanta Nanda, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), the turtle nesting site is close to Wheeler Island and these small endangered species are sensitive in nature.
The missile testing involves flashes of strong light and thunderous sound, which distract the endangered species, leading them to become easy prey for their predators.
While unhatched eggs and shells on the sand are used as fertilisers, the small turtles are hunted for their oil and flesh.
Additional steps to save Olive Ridley turtles
In addition to halting missile testing, several other measures have also been taken to conserve the vulnerable sea turtles. This specific move was announced by a committee headed by Odisha chief secretary P K Jena on Friday.
The soldiers of the Indian army and Coast Guard will patrol along the sea coast to keep fishing boats and trawlers away from the strips of sand near estuaries and bays, where the eggs have been laid by the turtles. Meanwhile, the Odisha government has already restricted fishing across the coastal side, starting from November 1 until May 31, 2024.
Notably, around six lakh Olive Ridleys have nested at the Rushikulya rookery located in Ganjam district, Odisha.
The nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles
Mating of olive ridley turtles starts in January and every year lakhs of olive ridley turtles relocate to Odisha’s coast for mating and laying eggs during the neasting season. The mass nesting starts in February at Rushikulya beach in Ganjam, Gahirmath beach in Kendrapara district and the confluence of the Devi river and Bay of Bengal in Puri district in Odisha.
