The tranquil Satabhaya coast along Orissa's Gahirmatha marine sanctuary has turned into a graveyard for Olive Ridley sea turtles, days ahead of the onset of 'arribada' or mass laying of eggs phenomena. The decomposed bodies of these unique aquatic species are spotted along a kilometre-long stretch of the sandy beach presenting a tragic sight.
The tranquil Satabhaya coast along Orissa's Gahirmatha marine sanctuary has turned into a graveyard for Olive Ridley sea turtles, days ahead of the onset of 'arribada' or mass laying of eggs phenomena. The decomposed bodies of these unique aquatic species are spotted along a kilometre-long stretch of the sandy beach presenting a tragic sight.
Official sources said around 1,900 bodies were counted till date within the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, but Sashmita Rout, sarpanch of Satabhaya grampanchayat, claimed that as per the conservative estimate, the latest toll should not be less than 5,000.
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Rout said the beach wore a ghastly look with bloated and decomposed bodies being dissected by stray dogs. There were deep marks of injury on some of the bodies. Last year too hundreds of turtles were found dead at the same spot - victims of illegal poaching by mechanised fishing trawlers - raising animal lovers' concern.
Every year, before the onset of 'arribada', thousands of Olive Ridley turtles get killed along the Orissa coast by getting entangled in the nets of the trawlers that operate illegally in the prohibited zones. Lakhs of these endangered species congregate here for mating.
Rout said the count would go up in the next few days and fears that the decomposed bodies of these turtles may trigger health problems. "Pungent odour emanating from the beach has made the lives miserable for residents of nearby Satabhaya village. We are apprehensive that the heaps of decomposed bodies might trigger health hazards," Rout said.
u00a0"We have asked the Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division officials to take stock of the situation," the chief conservator of forest, S A Srivastava, said. As a large number of carcasses are yet to be buried, stray dogs have acted as scavenging agents eating up the bodies, he said. Rout said the count would go up in the next few days and fears that the decomposed bodies of these turtles may trigger health problems.
"Pungent odour emanating from the beach has made the lives miserable for residents of nearby Satabhaya village. We are apprehensive that the heaps of decomposed bodies might trigger health hazards," Rout said. "We have asked the Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division officials to take stock of the situation," the chief conservator of forest, S A Srivastava, said.
As a large number of carcasses are yet to be buried, stray dogs have acted as scavenging agents eating up the bodies, he said.
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