Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA : South Goa Marine Range of Goa Forest Department gets a big relief as the new Turtle-Nesting season’s (2024-25, which normally begins in Oct-end or beginning of November) first Pit containing 65 eggs at Agonda Turtle Rehabilitation Centre early Saturday morning.
Pit.no.2 is protected with 107 eggs as 2nd mother turtle came at Agonda beach on Sunday morning (6.03 am)
South- Marine Range with its headquarters at Galgibaga is now have two Turtle Pits containing total of 172 , both at Agonda TRC.
Though a bit delayed than previous seasons, finally South-Goa Marine Range after having a most successful turtle nesting last 2023-24 season at South-Goa’s twin Nesting sites (Agonda and Galgibaga), a mother turtle flippered its ways as early as 5.48 am, the wee hours of Saturday, excavated sands using flippers and returned back after laying 65 eggs and covering the dug-out containing 65 eggs with sand on Agonda Shore.
Forests appointed guards who are already keeping eagle-eye on the shore since October month, later shifted all the 65 eggs near to the Agonda Turtle Rehabilitation Centre as Pit No.1 of 2024-25 turtle nesting season.
Last year the season’s first pit was preserved on November 18 at Agonda Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, and the year before on 18 December’22 at Galgibaga Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
It may be recalled that last turtle nesting season, a total 13561 young olive ridleys were released into the Arabian sea from Agonda ( 9661) and Galgibaga (3471), even though the mortality rates was a bit too high with as many as 8190 eggs failed to hatch and another 1214 young one’s died in the Pits itself out of the total of 22965 eggs protected at 231 pits in Agonda and Galgibaga.
South-Goa Marine Range withs headquarters at Galgibaga incharge RFO Rajesh Naik, informed the forest department is expecting much more arrivals of mother flippers this season around at both the Rehabilitation Centres Nesting Sites of Agonda and Galgibaga.
Meanwhile according to South Marine Range incharge RFO Rajesh Naik, Besides the eggs laid on Agonda beach shore are shifted in the TRCs Nesting Site, Eggs laid at Patnem, Palolem, Rajbag & Khola Beach are also are also shifted at Agonda TRCs Nesting Site. Similarly nestings/Turtle Eggs recovered from Baina, Varca , Benaulim, Mobor and Talpona beaches are shifted at South Marine Range, TRC’s Nesting site of Galgibaga.
