A female Olive Ridley turtle travelled 6,719 km over 271 days and reached waters east of Sri Lanka, according to a report from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Odisha minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia released the report in Bhubaneswar. It is the first-year output of a three-year project led by WII, which is based in Dehradun. The findings show how far the species ranges beyond the beaches where conservation has traditionally concentrated.
What the tags revealed
Researchers tracked 10 Olive Ridley turtles by satellite telemetry, which together produced 1,748 days of data. Put simply, the 6,719 km journey works out to roughly 25 km a day if the turtle swam steadily. That is our own calculation from the reported figures, not a number given in the report.
The report also found differences between the sexes. Male turtles began their offshore migration earlier, while females stayed in nearshore waters for longer. The data also pointed to possible foraging stopovers along the continental shelf and across the Bay of Bengal.
Not every turtle went far. Another turtle travelled nearly 200 km from Gahirmatha in Kendrapara district to Rushikulya in Ganjam district and back. This shows that individual turtles also move between different stretches of Odisha’s own coast.
Beyond the satellite tags
The project combines more than telemetry. It brings together satellite telemetry, boat-based surveys and shoreline analysis. Boat surveys in the 2025-26 nesting season recorded 1,390 individual turtles and 67 mating pairs, with most sightings within two kilometres of the coast.
WII is working with the Odisha Wildlife Organisation, the state’s forest department, Dhamra Port Co Ltd and the Adani Foundation. The tagging itself began in December 2025. Six turtles, three males and three females, were tagged at Gahirmatha between 21 and 24 December. The remaining three were to be tagged at the Rushikulya river mouth.
WII senior scientist Dr R Suresh Kumar said the study “marks the renewal of satellite tracking of Olive Ridley turtles in Odisha after nearly 15 years.”
What this means for India
Odisha hosts some of the world’s most important Olive Ridley nesting sites, including Gahirmatha and Rushikulya. The species has the highest legal protection in India, under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The tracking shows that protecting nesting beaches alone does not cover the whole life of these turtles. One tagged female reached waters east of Sri Lanka, so conservation may need to include offshore waters and regional cooperation. Officials have said such data can help identify critical habitats and reduce threats such as fishing bycatch.
What happens next
This is the first year of a three-year programme, so the picture will become clearer as more data come in. The report’s findings on stopovers are described as possible foraging sites and will need further tracking to confirm. The findings also raise questions about how activities in coastal and offshore waters may affect turtle habitats.
Sources
- Male, female Olive Ridley turtles show distinct movement patterns: Study – OrissaPOST
- Odisha Releases WII-Adani Foundation Olive Ridley Study
- Olive Ridley Study Maps Sea Turtle Routes Towards Sri Lanka – Newz Daddy
- Odisha Releases WII-Adani Olive Ridley Study; Priti Adani Lauds Majhi’s Green Focus – OMMCOM News
- Satellite tag traces Odisha Olive Ridley turtle’s 6,719-km marine journey to Sri Lanka – UNI
- Odisha performs satellite tagging on six Olive Ridley Sea Turtles – PTI via NewsDrum
- Olive Ridley turtles’ satellite tagging reinitiated to track migration pattern – OrissaPOST
