KARWAR: A migratory seagull found on Karwar beach on Wednesday set off curiosity and brief suspicion after locals noticed an unusual device attached to the bird. Forest department officials later clarified that it was a GPS tracker used for scientific research on bird migration.
The exhausted seagull, which had suffered minor injuries, was rescued after residents raised an alert about the attachment. It was taken to the forest department office for examination, where officials confirmed that the device was a standard GPS tracker used in wildlife studies.
Forest officials said they contacted the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS), which verified that the bird had been tagged as part of a long-term migration research project. Although the tracker was manufactured in China, authorities ruled out any surveillance or espionage angle.
Speculation escalated after some reports linked the device to the nearby INS Kadamba naval base, suggesting it could be a spy camera. Officials, however, dismissed the claims, stating that the tracker contained no camera.
Data retrieved from the device showed that the seagull had travelled over 10,000 km, including flights across Arctic regions, before reaching Karwar. After the GPS unit was safely removed, the bird was shifted to the forest department office for care.
Police and intelligence officials also visited the site and confirmed that the incident posed no security threat. Authorities urged the public to avoid spreading misinformation, noting that GPS tagging is a routine and globally accepted method used to study avian migration patterns.
