Satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle 'Dhaval Lakshmi' reaches Gujarat

The satellitetagged Olive Ridley turtle lsquoDhaval Lakshmirsquo that was released into the water at Dahanu coast in Maharashtras Palghar has now reached Gujarat waters officials said on SaturdayAccording to the Mangrove Cell ldquoAs on 22122025 the satellitetagged turtle lsquoDhaval Lakshmirsquo continues to move further west from the Maharashtra coastline Presently it is more than 200 km west of Dahanu and about 83 km south of SomnathrdquoThe Dahanu Forest Division and the Mangrove Cell of the Maharashtra Forest Department in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India have successfully satellitetagged an Olive Ridley female sea turtle at Dahanu in Palghar districtFound entangled in a fishing netThe Olive Ridley turtle was found entangled in a fishing net on August 10 2025 Fishermen carefully freed the turtle and noticing injuries on both front flippers handed it over to officials at the Turtle Treatment Centre in Dahanu under the Dahanu Forest DivisionThe turtle underwent treatment at the centre and after making a full recovery the authorities decided to fit it with a satellite transmitterThe Maharashtra coast has sporadic nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles Until now Olive Ridley sea turtles had been tagged only on the east coast of India This is the first satellitetagging project of an Olive Ridley sea turtle on the western coast of IndiaTracking migratory movementsA research project titled lsquoTracking the migratory movements of Olive Ridley sea turtles off the coast of Maharashtrarsquo has been commissioned by the Mangrove Foundation Maharashtra Forest Department to the Wildlife Institute of India WII This Phase II study will help in understanding the movement patterns of Olive Ridley sea turtles off the coast of western IndiaThe findings of this project will help in understanding the population of Olive Ridley sea turtles on the western coast of India their migration patterns foraging grounds and behaviour The Mangrove Foundation and the Mangrove Cell of the Forest Department are planning to undertake more such research initiatives to strengthen turtle conservation in MaharashtraOlive Ridley turtles are known for their longdistance migrations travelling thousands of kilometres between their feeding and breeding groundsAccording to the Marine Turtle Action Plan for the year 2021ndash2026 ldquoIndian coastal waters support five species of sea turtles found worldwide These are the Olive Ridley Lepidochelys olivacea Green Chelonia mydas Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata Leatherback Dermochelys coriacea and Loggerhead Caretta caretta These five species of sea turtles occurring in Indian coastal waters are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 India is home to the largest known nesting population of Olive Ridley turtles Except for Loggerhead turtles the remaining four species nest along the Indian coastline and islandsrdquoThe plan also states that between 40000 and 1100000 turtles nest every year on Indian beaches The number of nesting turtles varies annually and the success of sporadic nests has been observed to decline due to predation and habitat degradationAccording to Forest Department officials there are six nesting beaches in Sindhudurg four in Raigad and 13 in Ratnagiri The nesting season occurs between November and March every yearDo you knowA female turtle lays between 100 and 150 eggs at a time and it takes 45 to 55 days for the eggs to hatch Sea turtles play a crucial role in ocean ecosystems They help maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs facilitate nutrient cycling and provide habitats for other marine life As sea turtle populations decline their ability to perform these critical roles diminishes affecting the overall health of the oceans Ensuring the recovery of sea turtle populations is essential for sustaining healthy marine ecosystemsAbout Dhaval LakshmiOlive Ridley turtle rescued August 10 2025Fitted with satellite tag November 20 2025Released at Dahanu coast