On January 25, two Olive Ridley sea turtles were satellite tagged for the first time along the western coast of Maharashtra, at Velas and Anjarle beach in Ratnagiri district as part of the ‘Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Tracking’ project carried out by the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India and the Forest Department of Maharashtra. The two female turtles tagged were named ‘Prathama’, signifying a new step towards sea turtle conservation, and ‘Savani’, named after the local goddess of the Anjarle village. Until now, Olive Ridley turtles were satellite tagged only in the eastern coast of India.

According to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest of all sea turtles and are mainly found in the eastern coast of Orissa in India. Known to be migratory in nature, the female turtles come to the shore only during the breeding season. The sea turtles, though found in abundance across the world, have been declining in numbers over the years and are also identified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In Maharashtra, their nests and hatcheries can be found in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.