Over 1,100 Olive Ridley Sea Turtles Found Dead on Indian Beaches

In January 2025, more than 1,100 olive ridley turtles were discovered dead along the beaches of Tamil Nadu, India, sparking concerns among environmentalists and officials. Kuppusamy Sivakumar, an ecology professor at Pondicherry University, stated, "I never heard such large numbers of turtles stranded at any beaches of Tamil Nadu at least in the last three decades." The majority of the carcasses were found near Chennai, where typically only 100 to 150 turtles nest annually.

Witness Rajiv Rai reported spotting around 80 dead turtles along a 2-kilometer stretch, prompting local forest officials to bury the remains, although the procedure is now delayed. Initial examinations revealed lung lesions and bulging eyes in several turtles, suggesting suffocation as a probable cause of death, according to Chennai-based environmental activist Yuvan Aves.

While the reasons behind this mass die-off remain unclear, experts speculate entanglement in fishing nets may be a factor, particularly as illegal fishing continues in the region. Following media coverage, the Tamil Nadu government has apprehended 24 illegal trawlers and established a special taskforce to enhance monitoring of fishing activities.