In an attempt to boost conservation and bring the critically endangered Asian Giant Tortoise back from the brink, 10 captive-bred juvenile tortoises were soft-released into Intanki National Park, inside a protected area in Nagaland on Monday.
“Nagaland Forest Department (NFD), Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Wildlife Conservation Society India (WCSI) announced today that the re-wilding of 10 captive-bred juveniles of Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei) Intanki National Park. This first monitored re-wilding in India comes after over five years of conservation breeding efforts at Nagaland Zoological Park, Dimapur,” said Shailendra Singh, principal investigator of Joint Asian Giant Tortoise Recovery Project.
According to experts, over-exploitation and lack of awareness which led to unsustainable use for consumption by local communities have brought the species to the brink of functional extinction. The 10 juveniles, who were re-wilded were born in 2018 and have an average weight of 2.4 kg. “The cohort underwent a thorough health examination by a panel of wildlife veterinarians, prior to their release,” said Sushmita Kar, researcher at Asian Giant Tortoise Recovery Project.
Asian Giant Tortoises are the largest tortoises in mainland Asia and are found in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia among other places. Experts working on the species recovery process have fitted VHF transmitters on the tortoises and will monitor the animal movement in the wild post release.
The Joint Asian Giant Tortoise Recovery Project started in 2017 with the Nagaland Zoological Park (NZP) and Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA). Vedpal Singh, Chief Wildlife Warden, Nagaland said pilot release of Asian Giant Tortoise is a major leap towards repopulating the species.
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