In a 1st, Olive Ridley turtle’s 5,000-km migration tracked

Source: The post is based on the article “In a 1st, Olive Ridley turtle’s 5,000-km migration tracked” published in “TOI” on 4th October 2023

What is the News?

Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Maharashtra’s forest department have conducted a study to understand the offshore movements and migration of Olive Ridley Turtles.

What are Olive Ridley Turtles?

Source: TOI

The Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.

Olive ridley gets its name from its olive colored carapace, which is heart-shaped and rounded.

They are carnivores, and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs and a variety of fish and their eggs. 

They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

These turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean, and migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.

They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.

Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is the world’s largest known rookery (breeding colony) of the olive Ridley sea turtles.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1

CITES: Appendix I

Initiatives: Indian Coast Guard undertakes “Operation Olivia” every year. It is an Olive Ridley Turtle protection program.

– Mandatory use of Turtle Excluder Devices(TEDs): To reduce the accidental killing in India, the Odisha government has made it mandatory for trawlers to use Turtle Excluder Devices(TEDs). It is a net specially designed with an exit cover that allows the turtles to escape while retaining the catch.