GUWAHATI: Marking endangered species day, India’s first satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle was released in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve on Friday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it was a proud moment and a major step towards wildlife conservation in Assam. "We continue to protect every species that calls our forests home,” he said.
Assam is one of the world’s priority areas in freshwater turtle conservation.
Of the eight softshell turtles reported from India, five are known from Kaziranga.
Ganges softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica, WPA Schedule I) can be differentiated from other riverine turtles in having distinct arrowhead-shaped markings on the top of the head.
The species is widespread in India, inhabiting large rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
In spite of its wide distribution, the species is considered endangered in the IUCN Red List.
These long-lived, large-growing animals are major predators in the rivers and help clean up the system by feeding on dead and decaying animal matter.
“Understanding seasonal movement patterns, home range and identifying critical habitats like nesting and breeding will help in active management of softshell in the Brahmaputra river basin”, said Dr Abhijit Das, senior scientist, Wildlife Institute of India.
He led the satellite-tagging exercise under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with Kaziranga authorities and Assam Forest Department, with financial support from the National Geographic Society.
A healthy adult turtle was captured, fitted with the transmitter under veterinary supervision, and released back into its natural habitat along the north bank of the Brahmaputra, with close oversight by wildlife researchers and the Forest Department.
“This became a significant event for Kaziranga to understand and identify valuable habitats for endangered species such as the Ganges softshell turtle in the riverine landscape of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve,” an official statement said.
Recently, a video showing a Hoolock Gibbon using a canopy bridge to go across a railway track at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam's Jorhat district went viral.
Taking to X, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav wrote, “Good to see that mitigation measures such as this canopy bridge made over a railway passing through Assam have started being used by Hoolock Gibbon. This shows science-led small-scale efforts can also be of great help in biodiversity conservation.”
The Assam chief minister described it as a heartening moment. “A year after installing the arboreal canopy bridge, a Hoolock Gibbon is now using it to safely cross the railway track. A small but significant example that shows how science-led interventions can make a real difference in conservation,” he posted on X.
