An injured black softshell turtle was rescued by the Thane disaster management cell from Kachrali lake on Monday morning and admitted to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) hospital in Thane for treatment.
Veterinarians at the hospital said the 39.5-kg adult female turtle was 3.6 feet long and 2 feet tall. The turtle was spotted by Kailash Bohir, a local resident, during his morning walk on the banks of the lake. Santosh Kadam from the disaster management cell said Mr. Bohir alerted them at 8 a.m. He said, “The turtle had a wound in its stomach and was bleeding. We had to be extra careful. A few months ago, a turtle we were trying to rescue managed to swim back into the lake. This turtle was very heavy and we had to make sure that it did not return to the lake.”
Mr. Kadam said a team of seven rescue workers slowly lifted the turtle and placed it on a thick piece of cloth. Pranay Pagare, a member of the team, said schoolchildren and morning walkers gathered near the lake to watch the rescue operation. Mr. Pagare said, “Though the injuries looked minor, the turtle was bleeding. It seemed as if a fish had bitten the turtle near its stomach.”
Dr. Priti Sathe, who treated the turtle, said it did not sustain major injuries. She said, “In all likelihood, the turtle suffered a few bruises while moving along the shore of the lake. However, the turtle was completely dehydrated. It might have been starving for a while because it had become very weak when it was brought to the hospital. We administered fluids to the turtle to rehydrate it.”
Dr. Sathe said that the turtle would be kept under observation for the next 48 hours and once it became stable the Thane forest Department would take a call on where it should be released. Dr. Sathe said the black softshell turtle is a vulnerable species known for its huge size and largely found in India. The turtles feed on fish and crabs, and live up to 80 to 90 years.
