Kendrapara (Odisha): At least 10 endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, which were earlier tagged with GPS to study their migration behaviour, have reappeared for mass nesting on Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, officials said Monday.
Around four lakh turtles have laid eggs at the world’s largest rookery in the last five days, they said.
“On Saturday night, at least 10 female turtles were spotted at Nasi-1 and Nasi-2 nesting grounds with metallic tags fitted on their flippers”, an official said.
These turtles were tagged in March 2021 by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
The reappearance of GPS-tagged turtles at Gahirmatha bears testimony to the fact that female turtles often come to the same beach to lay eggs, another official said.
Tagging of turtles is conducted to obtain information on reproductive biology, movements and growth rates. It helps researchers study turtles’ migratory routes and areas of foraging, the officials said.
The tagged sea turtles also reappeared for mass nesting on the Rushikulya river nesting ground in the past years, they added.
PTI
