Berhampur: The Odisha Forest Department on Tuesday launched the tagging of Olive Ridley sea turtles at Rushikulya mouth near Berhampur to make further research on the elusive sea creatures.
The tags are not GPS-enabled; rather the protected turtles will sport physical tags which will be uniquely numbered.
A total of six turtles were tagged on Tuesday, out of which two were male and four females.
The drive was undertaken by the Odisha Forest and Environment Department in collaboration with the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). As per reports, the exercise is being done by the government after a gap of 25 years. The last such drive was reportedly held in 1995/96.
The decision in this regard was taken by a high-power committee under the chairmanship of the Odisha Chief Secretary.
Speaking to the media, the DFO of Berhampur, Amlan Nayak said, “Initially, the Wildlife Institute of India and the Zoological Survey of India were entrusted with the task of tagging the turtles….