Amidst numerous turtles swimming in the murky waters of Doraikere in the city are two small hatchlings of pond terrapins unaware of the minor miracle behind their births.
In October 2016, members of People for Animals (PfA) rescued a pond terrapin – a freshwater turtle – that is believed to have been run over on Uttarahalli Main Road. It’s broken shell was patched together at the PfA Wildlife Hospital in Kengeri. On October 6, a clutch of five pale white eggs were laid. A few days later, the turtle died of trauma. The PfA personnel took the eggs but were doubtful about their survival as they were laid out of season and during a period of great stress for the turtle. “Pond terrapins usually lay eggs in early April which hatch by the end of May. This could be a case of egg retention from her previous clutch of eggs which were prematurely laid owing to the stress of the accident,” Shailendra Singh, Director, Turtle Survival Alliance India, said in a release.
The incubation period of the eggs is between 8 and 10 weeks. When the time lapsed without any any activity, the eggs were believed to be infertile. However, PfA continued to incubate the eggs, and in the last week of May — nearly seven months since they were laid — two of the eggs hatched. “It is a matter of great joy... The eggs survived against all odds in spite of losing their mother at a critical stage of development,” says Alpana Bhartia, founder trustee, PfA.
Karthik, head veterinarian at the organisation, said the healthy hatchlings have already begun hunting for mosquito larvae. The hatchlings were released on June 6. However, the fate of the other three eggs still remains unclear and PfA says they will continue incubating them till they hatch.
