Guwahati: Ten critically endangered Asian giant tortoises, reintroduced in a community forest in Nagaland’s Peren district, would be protected by a group of ‘Tortoise Guardians’ who are local youth from the community.
Chisayi, divisional forest officer of Peren, said they had been engaged by the conservation project to ensure the protection of the released tortoises and assist in data collection.
The tortoises were reintroduced in Peren through a community event by the Nagaland State Forest Department and India Turtle Conservation Program (ITCP).
These were bred at the Nagaland Zoological Park which has India’s largest captive population of the species. The Asian giant tortoise is the largest tortoise in mainland Asia, listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Nagaland State Forest Department and ITCP are working to save this species from extinction through conservation breeding and reintroduction, backed by efforts to heighten the awareness of local communities to protect them in their native habitats.
"Asian giant tortoises, also known as the small elephants of the forests, help in seed dispersal and forest regeneration apart from scavenging to keep the forest floor clean," said Shailendra Singh from ITCP.
The site of release was selected after a thorough habitat suitability assessment across several potential areas of Nagaland.
According to Tokaho Kinimi, who is the wildlife warden of Dimapur, other than national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, protected areas such as community and conservation reserves in Nagaland have been performing quite well to preserve the forests and wildlife under the joint leadership of the communities and the forest department.
The tortoises were released in a pre-constructed soft-release enclosure to help them develop site fidelity before actual dispersal.
"The released tortoises are marked and tagged with very high frequency-based telemetry system to study their dispersal and survival in deep rainforests. Once the pilot release is successful, more individuals will be released in this landscape to recover the decimated wild populations”, said Sushmita Kar, project coordinator, ITCP.
Prior to transportation, the tortoises underwent comprehensive health checks and quarantine for over six months.
A turtle and tortoise corner at the community hall was inaugurated during the event, which displays important awareness signages and efforts made by the locals to assist this project.
Officials said such community-based and participatory initiatives marked an important milestone in the Naga culture and posed as an important conservation model across the region.
Authorities said the district administration would take special measures for the long-term protection of the released tortoises in and around the site.
With communities staunchly protecting such endangered wildlife, the conservation message echoed louder than ever—how wildlife conservation can be intertwined with the daily lives.