Bhubaneswar: Two female Olive Ridley sea turtles, fitted with satellite transmitters at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, have traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers to reach the waters north of Sri Lanka within a month of tagging.
The turtles were tagged on March 12 during the peak mass nesting season at Gahirmatha Beach. This tracking initiative is part of a collaborative effort by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Odisha Forest Department to study the migratory routes of Olive Ridleys.
“We track their movements daily via satellite,” said Dr. Suresh Kumar, senior scientist at WII. He noted that Olive ridges are exceptional navigators, often following ocean currents as they traverse the Bay of Bengal.
Every year, thousands of Olive Radley come ashore along Odisha’s coastline, particularly at Gahirmatha, one of the largest mass nesting sites in the world. After nesting, many begin their southward journey through the Bay of Bengal, though they never cross into the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Kumar added.
He also pointed out that Sri Lanka has emerged as a relatively safe zone for sea turtles. In 2017, the country became the first in Asia to ban bottom trawling and destructive trawl nets measure that significantly improved marine biodiversity and offered safer waters for migratory species like sea turtles.
