GUWAHATI:
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 235 rare, live turtles, mostly Indian flap shell turtles, at the Kamakhya Railway station on February 5.
The turtles were handed over to the Beat Officer (BO) of Khanamukh forest beat under Guwahati Range, Kamrup East Division, for rehabilitation. A team of forest officials immediately took the turtles to a wetland at State Zoo.
The RPF team, led by assistant sub-inspector Bhanita Barman Talukdar recovered the turtles stacked in 10 bags from two compartments of Dr Ambedkar Nagar Kamakhya Express. Though no person has been arrested in connection with the case, the police registered a case against the unidentified criminals. Speculation, however, is rife that the rescued turtles were smuggled from Rajasthan on the way to Nagaland.
The Indian flap shell turtle, found extensively in South Asia, is known for adapting well to drought conditions. Their name comes from their femoral flaps, which cover their limbs when they retract to their shell.
Interestingly, fossils of this species have been found in Nepal, belonging to the Miocene period. At present, their extinction status falls under “Least Concern”.