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Moved from Temple Ponds to the Wild, Black Softshell Turtles walk towards Revival

Read this article on the Black Softshell turtle by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi for Mongabay to learn MORE!

Last year, 70 hatchlings of the Black Softshell Turtle were released in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary in Assam. Since 2016, 300 hatchlings have been released in the wild under a program where turtles are bred in temple ponds and hatched the state zoo. Experts hope that the classification of the species, currently classified as “Extinct in the Wild” by IUCN, will be changed to “Critically Endangered”.

Wildlife biologist Shailendra Singh, who heads the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) in India, was actively involved in the conservation of the Bostami turtles in Assam. TSA has been working along with Jayaditya Purkayastha in some temples as part of the conservation program.

“Eggs (of turtles laid at temple ponds) were hatched in the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati in plastic trays. From there, the hatchlings were released in the sanctuary post-monsoon when they were three-months-old. After the eggs hatched, we carried out a health assessment, quarantined the hatchlings and then released them in Pobitora.” Singh explained. Read the full article from MONGABAY HERE.