Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists are celebrating the remarkable journey of an Olive Ridley turtle that traveled a record-breaking 3,500 km from the Gahrimatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha to Ratnagiri district. The turtle has since laid 120 eggs at Guhagar Beach.
According to the Mangrove Division-South Konkan, 107 of these eggs successfully hatched, and the hatchlings were released into the sea.
The turtle, identified by the metal tag number ‘03233’, was first spotted at Guhagar on January 31, 2025, as reported by Divisional Forest Officer Kanchan Pawar to the NatConnect Foundation.
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Volunteers from the Kasav Mitra (Friends of Turtles) group, deployed by the Mangrove Foundation, were quick to spot the turtle and ensure its safety. After laying its eggs, the turtle was safely released back into the sea. Between March 23 and 26, a total of 107 hatchlings were released, with the largest group of 74 hatchlings observed on March 24.
Tagged as ‘03233’ at Gahrimatha Beach in Odisha on March 21, 2021, the turtle traveled over 3,500 km to Guhagar Beach in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, where it was discovered on January 31, 2025.
Dr. Basudev, a senior scientist from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), who has been involved in tagging the turtles, expressed his surprise and delight at this particular turtle’s appearance on the western coast. He emphasized the crucial role turtles play in maintaining biodiversity, noting that they help the fishing community by consuming jellyfish and contributing to the health of marine habitats.
NatConnect Foundation Director B.N. Kumar pointed out the significance of the turtle’s long migration and egg-laying journey. However, he noted the limitations of metal tagging, as it only provides basic information about the date, location, and person responsible for tagging. The exact stopovers and swimming route of the turtle remain a mystery.
According to the Olive Ridley Project, sea turtles like this one help maintain marine biodiversity by transporting organisms between reefs, seagrass beds, and the open ocean. These turtles come ashore to lay eggs in protective nests, before returning to the sea.
