Olive Ridley hatchlings at Gokhorkuda beach

BERHAMPUR: Thousands of people are thronging the Gokhorkuda beach here to watch Olive Ridley hatchlings emerging from the eggs. Hatching started on Monday and more than three lakh hatchlings have swam into the sea, forest officials claimed. “The process would continue for some more days as 3 lakh more hatchlings are expected,” an official said. Forest staff and locals are maintaining a vigil to ensure that the hatchlings enter the sea safely. This season, over 1.20 lakh Olive Ridleys laid eggs on the beach, but due to heavy wind and other reasons, over 10 per cent of the eggs were destroyed.  Many turtles had also laid eggs near Podempetta beach where some settlements were battered by high tidal waves last week. The Olive Ridley turtles lay 70 to 110 eggs in a season.