After laying eggs on the beach Chandni III and Chandni IV have gone back to sea. They are in the Sandspit area. You will probably be familiar with Sandspit Beach – a popular recreational place for Karachi inhabitants. Unfortunately the thousands of visitors to the beach leave a lot of trash behind. Most of this is made up of plastic that does not degrade for years. This constitutes a real danger for Chandni III and Chandni IV who might eat it.

Luckily, WWF’s Wetland Centre organises regular beach cleaning activities before and during the nesting season of marine turtles. You are welcome to join in!

Click on the maps below to see where the turtles have reached.

Date 24-11-2006

Date 02-11-2006

Date 20-11-2006

Date 20-11-2006

If you want to see the route Chandni III and Chandni Iv have been taking click here

Why tag the turtles?
For the conservation of marine turtles, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been
signed among the states of Indian Ocean and South East Asia (IOSEA) region. The
regional states can work together to conserve and replenish marine turtle populations.
The year 2006 has been declared as “Year of the Turtle (YoT)” for the IOSEA region.
The initiative promotes collaborative and concerted actions to conserve and manage
marine turtles as well as the habitats on which they depend. Pakistan is also a signatory to
IOSEA MoU.
As a part of the YoT activities, WWF – Pakistan, in collaboration with the Environment
Agency – Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., and the Sindh Wildlife Department, recently installed
transmitters on two marine turtles at Sandspit, Karachi coast.

About Chandni III and Chandni IV

A female marine turtle (Chandni III), 100 cm in length and 88 cm in breadth, was captured during the night of September 7, 2006, after it had completed her nesting process. Chandni III was taken to WWF-Pakistan’s Wetland Centre where researchers from WWF–P and Sindh Wildlife Department started installing the transmitter. At 5:00 A.M. on 8th September, after the installation process of transmitter was finished, it was transported to the beach and released back into the sea.
Another female marine turtle, Chandni IV, was similarly tagged the next night i.e.
8th September. It was 102 cm long and 88 cm broad. It was released back near its nesting
ground after the installation of the transmitter was completed at 4:45 A.M.
Chandni I and II were tagged on 1st and 2nd August 2001 respectively but the transmitters
stopped sending signal after about a month.

How the turtles were tagged

For installation of sattellite transmitters, the following procedure was followed:
1. Capture of the Turtles:
The turtles were captured after they completed their nesting on the beach and laid their
eggs from the pouches into the nests. This took about 2 ½ hours. For identification, the
turtles were named as Chandni III and Chandni IV.

2. Transportation of Turtles:
The captured turtles were transported to the WWF–Pakistan’s Wetland Centre—situated
near the nesting area—where the tagging process could be conducted easily. They were then put into a large, open wooden box with their heads covered by wet towels.
3. Cleaning of Carapace:
The first scute of the dorsal side of each turtle was selected for the installation of
transmitter. The first two scutes were rubbed using sandpaper and dry rag to make the
surface rough so that adhesives could stick on it.
4. Installation of Transmitter:
The procedure began by removing the magnets to activate the transmitters and covering
the saltwater contact screws on the transmitter with a piece of masking tape to ensure the
screws are not fouled with the resin when attaching the transmitter.
Using the applicator, a thin layer of the marine adhesive sealant was applied on the back
of the transmitter and immediately placed behind the first central scute of the carapace
with the antenna facing towards the turtle’s tail. Then the edges around the transmitter
were sealed.
Once dried, the area around the transmitter was cleaned using sand paper and dry rag. A
second adhesive, marine polyester laminator resin mixed with a catalyst, was applied
on the top and sides of the transmitter.
Each transmitter was then covered with different layers of fiberglass strips to give it
added protection. A double coating of resin was applied to the device. The masking from
the switches on the device was removed to make them operational. The turtles were
carried to the place they had been captured from. Before releasing, a tag was attached on
each front flipper.
Location data will be received through ARGOS, a satellite based system, when the turtles
surface for air. The data is transmitted to the station, then to the user. The turtles’
migration pattern is plotted with the help of GIS programmer.
The satellite tracking would provide information on post nesting migration patterns,
foraging area, time spent for foraging and resting distance covered per day. It will also
help in obtaining the data about biological characteristics and general behaviour of the
marine species.

The data received so far shows that both transmitters are functioning. The map shows the
location of each turtle from the point of release.

LOG SHEET OF CHANDNI III
SITE: Sandspit, Karachi coast
DATE: Capturing: September 07, 2006 Releasing: September 8, 2006
TIME: Capturing: 09:55 P. M. Releasing: 5:00 A.M.
GPS: Location of Installation: N24°50.921 E66°53.677
SPECIES NAME: Chelonia mydas (Green Turtle)
MORPHOMETRY: Carapace Length: 100cm
Carapace Width: 88 cm
PTT # (Transmitter No.): 545024
TAG # Left: W-13078 Right: W-13077

LOG SHEET OF CHANDNI IV
SITE: Sandspit, Karachi coast
DATE: Capturing: September 08, 2006 Releasing: September 9, 2006
TIME: Capturing: 09:30 P. M. Releasing: 4:45 A.M.
GPS: Location of Installation: N24°50.921 E66°53.677
SPECIES NAME: Chelonia mydas (Green Turtle)
MORPHOMETRY: Carapace Length: 102cm
Carapace Width: 88 cm
PTT # (Transmitter No.): 545028
TAG # Left: W-137080 Right: W-137079