Bhubaneswar: A female Olive Ridley turtle travelled 6,719 km over a course of 271 days to reach the waters east of Sri Lanka, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has found.
This is part of the first-year findings of a three-year study by the institute, undertaken with support from the state wildlife wing and Dhamra Port Co Ltd (DPCL), a part of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ).
The study has already offered new insights into Olive Ridley movements, habitat use, migration and nesting along the Odisha coast.
The satellite telemetry, used as part of the study, tracked 10 turtles over 1,748 days, revealing distinct movement patterns between males and females, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Male turtles began their offshore migration earlier, while females remained in nearshore waters for longer periods, the findings revealed.
The data also pointed to possible foraging stopovers along the continental shelf and across the Bay of Bengal.
While one female turtle travelled the longest 6,719 km over 271 days, reaching waters east of Sri Lanka, another journeyed nearly 200 km from Gahirmatha to Rushikulya and back, highlighting the extent to which Olive Ridleys moved.
The WII, in its report, called for sustained monitoring to better understand how these movement and habitat-use patterns could influence the conservation of nesting habitats.
Odisha forest minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, while releasing the report, laid stress on focused conservation measures for the marine species that arrive on the Odisha coast, Gahirmatha in Kendrapara district and Rushikulya in Ganjam, in lakhs for their annual mass nesting.
R Suresh Kumar, senior scientist, department of Endangered Species Management at WII, said the study, based on satellite tracking after nearly 15 years, provide a scientific foundation for evidence-based conservation planning.
“We will continue tracking more turtles to build a stronger data set that can support management strategies and long-term conservation,” he said.
Olive Ridleys are an important part of Odisha’s natural heritage and protecting them requires a deeper understanding of its journey, Adani Foundation chairperson Priti G Adani said
“The focus of the Odisha government, under the leadership of chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on sustainability and environmental conservation provides a strong foundation for such pioneering work and we are pleased to contribute to this effort,” she said.