12 endangered turtles released in canals of Sundarbans

The turtle breeding centre in Karamjol, Sundarbans released 12 endangered Northern River Terrapins in the wild after two years.

10 bred turtles and 2 collected turtles of the Batagur Baska species were released on the banks of the Chhedonkhali canal near Kalirchar in the Eastern Sundarbans.

The tortoises were released on Wednesday afternoon, said Azad Kabir, the officer-in-charge of the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in a press release.

Divisional Forest Officer of Sundarbans East Forest Department Muhammad Belayet Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Khulna Division Nirmal Kumar Pal, Chairman of the Nature and Life Foundation Mukit Majumder and other forest officials were present.

A total of 12 turtles, including 10 from the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center and two rescued from Khulna-Patuakhali, have been released on the banks of the Chhedankhali canal in the Sundarbans.

According to Kabir, there was a time when the Sundarbans had more saltwater turtles but they cannot be found in the region anymore. These 12 turtles have been released to find out if there are any more in the Sundarbans and to understand their movements.

The turtle breeding centre in Sundarbans started operating in 2014.