An Olive Ridley turtle, tagged with a satellite-linked tracking device at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha, has traveled approximately 1,000 kilometers in 51 days. According to an official announcement made on May 16, 2025, the turtle's journey concluded on the Andhra Pradesh coast.
The turtle navigated through the sea waters of Sri Lanka, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu before reaching its destination. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) tracked the turtle's movement in the sea waters off Andhra Pradesh.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Prem Shankar Jha noted the turtle's extensive journey. The Odisha Forest Department had initiated the tagging exercise in 1999. Between 2021 and 2024, approximately 12,000 turtles were tagged in Gahirmatha and Rushikulya river mouth nesting grounds, the officials said.