What Caused More Than 400 Sea Turtles to Wash Ashore in India

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles
JB Manning/Shutterstock.com

Written by Eliana Riley

Published: January 21, 2025

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Hundreds of dead, vulnerable sea turtles washed up on South Asian beaches last week near the city of Chennai, India. These turtles were identified as olive ridley turtles, an endangered species that once claimed the largest population of sea turtles on Earth.

Why are these creatures washing up? Olive ridley turtles typically travel thousands of miles to find ideal nesting sites. However, during this journey, they often encounter dangers, such as becoming bycatch in fishing equipment.

Over 400 olive ridley turtles washed ashore in just two weeks. While this number is staggering, it pales in comparison to the 900 turtles that washed up a decade ago. Researchers assert that fishing nets trawling the ocean floor near turtle nesting areas pose the greatest threat to endangered turtle species.


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About the Author

Eliana Riley

Eliana Riley is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is on geography, travel, and landmarks. Eliana is a third-year student at Miami University majoring in English Education and Spanish. A resident of Tennessee and Ohio, Eliana enjoys traveling to national and state parks, hiking, kayaking, and camping.

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