Wildlife Lovers and forest officials in Orissa are of the view that the missile tests by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) off the Orissa coast have affected the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtles. Nearly three lakh of these rare species gather at the coast between February and May every year for the mass nesting. The largest congregation takes place at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary near Kendrapara, which is the largest rookery for the species in Asia. But this year, their number is quite discouraging. The Orissa wildlife department suspects the test firing of the Agni-I and Agni-III missiles at the nearby Wheeler Island may have put them off the coast. The worried wildlife wing of the Orissa government has written a letter to the DRDO to put off the next test. "Last month, we had written a letter to the DRDO not to conduct tests during the turtle-nesting season, but they test-fired the Agni-I and Agni-III missiles on March 23 and May 7. When I came to know that another missile test-firing is being planned, I have again urged them to postpone the test for another month," said B K Patnaik, chief wildlife warden (CWW). The government has an agreement with the DRDO which stipulates certain measures to help protect the turtles and facilitate nesting. As per the understanding, the CWW said that the DRDO should refrain from test-firing at least during this critical period. The most important nesting sites in Gahirmatha are located on Nasi I and Nasi 2 islands, which are situated very close to the Wheeler Island, a part of integrated test range (LTR) from where the Agni missiles are test-fired. Defence scientists may be jubilant over the successful test-firing of the Agni missiles but it has turned into a matter of concern for environmentalists and wildlife lovers. "In the early nineties, before handing over the Wheeler Island to the defence ministry, the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had asked the former not to conduct any missile test between November and May. But they are still to observe the restrictions," said Biswajit Mohanty, coordinator of Operation Kachhap, an organization that works for the protection of Olive Ridleys. "We have no objection to missile testing but we want some time deviation. They can do it during the other months," Mohanty said. Massive preparations take place at the Wheeler Island much before a missile launch and the test range remains illuminated at night. Wildlife activists have demanded that the lights should be switched off during the nesting season as the Olive Ridleys stay away from the coast because of the illumination. Greenpeace has also expressed dissatisfaction over the issue. Earlier, environmentalists had drawn the attention of the then DRDO chief and former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam towards the matter. "Kalam had said that the defense authorities would take necessary action but they are yet to comply," said Sanjiv Gopal, a Greenpeace campaigner.