In Maharashtra’s Thane district, 59 turtles were recently rescued from an artificial pond located at a local temple, according to a Thane forest department official.
In collaboration with the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), the operation took place last Saturday. Among the rescued turtles, 22 were native species, including Indian flap-shell, black pond, and Indian tent turtles, all protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The remaining 37 were red-eared sliders, an exotic species, as noted by Pawan Sharma of RAWW. Veterinarians from RAWW have examined the turtles. The native species will be released back into the wild, as confirmed by Ashok Kateskar, a round officer with the Thane forest department. Pawan Sharma also highlighted the issue of people buying exotic turtles when they are small and manageable but often abandoning them in natural or artificial waterbodies when they grow older and more challenging to care for, which is both unethical and illegal.
