Bhubaneswar: Two Olive Ridley sea turtles tagged with satellite transmitters at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha’s Kendrapara district have travelled nearly 1,000 kilometers to reach waters north of Sri Lanka within a month.

The turtles, both females, were tagged on March 12 during the mass nesting season on Gahirmatha beach. The tracking initiative is being carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the Odisha Forest Department to study the migration patterns of the species.

“We are monitoring the movements of these turtles every day through the satellite transmitters,” said Dr. Suresh Kumar, a senior scientist at WII. He explained that Olive Ridley turtles are skilled navigators that follow ocean currents during their long journeys in the Bay of Bengal.

Every year, thousands of Olive Ridleys arrive at Odisha's coast, especially at Gahirmatha, one of the world’s largest mass nesting sites. After nesting, many head southwards through the Bay of Bengal, but they never cross into the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Kumar added.

He also highlighted that Sri Lanka has become a safe destination for sea turtles. In 2017, the island nation became the first in Asia to ban bottom trawling and destructive trawl nets—an important move that helped protect marine biodiversity and offered safer waters for migratory turtles.