43 olive ridleys nest at Agonda

Canacona: Forest guards at Agonda beach are all smiles after 43 olive ridley turtles laid 4,468 eggs along the beach. Neighbouring Galgibaga beach also has 13 olive ridley turtle nests with 1,355 eggs in their incubation period.

Agonda beach in the Canacona taluka is fast turning into a favourite for nesting olive ridley turtles. “Forty-three nests within a period of 42 days is an extremely good sign,” said range forest officer of the south marine range, Rajesh Naik.

With Agonda beach being declared a turtle nesting site, the number of tourists choosing the place as a holiday spot has also increased because silence is now its selling point.

Compared to other beaches of Goa, here at Agonda, it is clean with a respectable number of deck beds and all enjoying the scenery offered by the quiet sea, says Julie of Britain as she walks with her other three friends on the beach. There is a mutual respect between humans and nature, she observed. Another tourist Krishna from Bangaluru says that tourists who come here are good, as they needn’t to be told about the space that Olive Ridley turtles need for survival.Naik is optimistic that the number of flippered visitors appearing on the two Canacona beaches this season will increase. “Forest department guards keep a sharp eye on activities on the beaches and I think it is the first and the best step,” he said.



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