Star tortoises being tended to at camp

A Forest official said they were awaiting orders for the release of the tortoises in their natural habitat near Marayur.

May 11, 2014 02:53 am | Updated November 16, 2021 07:12 pm IST - KATTAPPANA

Forest watchers at the Chinnar Nature Camp, near Marayur, have been entrusted with the care of Star tortoises ( Geochelone elegans) that were seized by Customs officials from the Thiruvananthapuram airport on April 29.

The Star tortoises are fed bamboo leaves and cactus collected by the forest watchers. Of the 440 Star tortoises seized by the officials, 347 are in the nature camp.

A Forest official said they were awaiting orders for the release of the tortoises in their natural habitat near Marayur.

They will be released on the orders of the Chief Wildlife Warden after the court process is completed. The case is now under the Nedumangad Court.

The rainshadow areas of the forests in Marayur is the natural habitat of the Indian Star tortoise. Star tortoises live in dry grassland and shrub forest areas of India and Sri Lanka.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.