A 120 kg Indian Soft Shell Turtle was discovered in Naik Talao on Sunday. The turtle has been kept at the city’s Seminary Hills Transportation Treatment Center.
According to information obtained, Naik Talao’s beautification work has begun. For the past month, just one sizable Soft Shell Turtle had been spotted in this lake.
The forest department had been taking efforts since then to rescue this turtle. However as the lake is large and has a lot of silt, there were a lot of difficulties in capturing the turtle. The local residents have demanded that this turtle should be released into Nai Talao after beautification work is completed.
The Indian SoftShell Turtle is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN. The species is listed on Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which gives protection from hunting as well as trade. This vulnerable turtle reaches a carapace length of up to 94 cm (37 in It feeds mostly on fish, amphibians, carrion and other animal matter, but also takes aquatic plants.