156 survivors: Why Chilika's Irrawaddy dolphins may vanish before 2040; environmentalists ring alarm bell

156 survivors: Why Chilika's Irrawaddy dolphins may vanish before 2040; environmentalists ring alarm bell

Bhubaneswar: Along Odisha's pristine coastline, where the Bay of Bengal kisses the golden shores, a desperate race against time unfolds every winter. Here, at Gahirmatha and Rushikulya beaches, hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles once performed their ancient arribada—mass nesting ritual. Today, their numbers dwindle at an alarming rate."Ten years ago, we counted over 600,000 nesting females. Last season, barely 120,000 arrived," says B…