Team Herald
MORJIM: Flippered visitors sparked some excitement for the first time in 2025 after they laid around 115 eggs along the Anjuna Vagator beach belt and kicked off the nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles.
Forest officials have shifted the clutch of eggs to the nesting site at Morjim for safety purposes.
Officials from the Forest Department have been camping for the last 3 days at this stretch and keeping a close watch on the movements of the turtles and finally discovered quite a number of eggs laid by the visitors.
According to locals and forest officials, the possible crackdown on loud music has enabled the turtles to come to the shore to lay their eggs however in what could be a disappointing factor is some unruly tourists who drink and make noise late in the night also drive their vehicles along the beach could discourage the turtles from coming ashore.
Chairman of the Anjuna Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) Ramesh Naik informed that during the last 3 years about 20 times there were reports of the turtles coming ashore to lay eggs.
“We have been urging the Forest Dept and other authorities concerned to declare Anjuna-Vagator stretch as an eco sensitive zone and a nesting site because it is frequented by the turtles but till date no action is forthcoming,” said Naik.