Daijiworld Media Network - Canacona

Canacona, Jan 27: In an unusual sight for beachgoers, an olive ridley turtle emerged on Agonda beach late Tuesday morning and began digging a nest to lay eggs, catching tourists completely off guard.

The turtle surfaced around 10.30 am and started scooping sand, but its nesting attempt was interrupted when curious tourists moved in for a closer look. Disturbed by the crowd, the turtle halted the process midway.

The situation prompted an alert to the lone turtle rescuer on daytime duty, who rushed to the spot. Managing the crowd proved challenging, and additional help had to be called in. With the arrival of more personnel, tourists and onlookers were finally cleared from the area, allowing the turtle to resume nesting.

Once the beach was secured, the turtle successfully laid its eggs and returned to the sea.

South Marine Range Forest Officer Rajesh Naik said the incident was rare, as olive ridley turtles typically come ashore only after sunset. “We usually post a single rescuer during the day since nesting generally happens at night. This was an exception,” he said.

Naik added that this marked the 15th protected turtle nesting of the season at Agonda beach. The eggs have been safely transferred to the Agonda hatchery for incubation under the supervision of forest staff.