Font size:
Print
Species in News: Bengal Roof Turtles
Endangered species of turtles reintroduced in Ganga river
Context: In a groundbreaking wildlife conservation effort, 20 critically endangered red-crowned roofed turtles have been reintroduced into the Ganga River in western Uttar Pradesh, marking the species’ return to the waterway after a three-decade absence.
About Bengal Roof Turtles
-
- Scientific Name: Batagur kachuga
- Common Names: Bengal roof turtle, Red-crowned roofed turtle
- Physical Characteristics:
-
-
- Female turtles: Up to 56 cm in shell length and weigh up to 25 kg
- Males: Half the size of females
- Carapace: Strongly keeled
- Plastron (underside): Angulated laterally in juveniles
- Reproduction: Females lay 11 to 30 eggs during March–April
- Range: Native to India, Bangladesh, and Nepal
- Historically widespread in the Ganga River (India and Bangladesh) and Brahmaputra basin. Listed among Asia’s 50 most endangered tortoises
- Current Wild Population: Fewer than 300 individuals, limited to the Chambal River in India.
- Habitat: Freshwater species, found in deep flowing rivers. It prefers terrestrial nesting sites along riverbanks.
- Diet: Exclusively consists of water plants.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
- IWPA: Schedule I (Indian Wildlife Protection Act)
- CITES: Appendix I
- U.S. ESA: Not listed
-
- Major Threats:
-
- Habitat degradation: Due to pollution, large-scale development (water extraction for irrigation, dams), and irregular flow from upstream reservoirs.
- Sand mining and agricultural activities affecting nesting sandbars along the Ganga River.
- Drowning due to illegal fishing nets.
- Poaching and illegal trade of the species.
Conservation Efforts: The Historic Reintroduction Effort
- 20 red-crowned roofed turtles have been reintroduced into the Ganga in a joint conservation effort by Namami Gange, the state forest department, and the India Turtle Conservation Program.
- The turtles, 10 males and 10 females, are 2-3 years old and have been released in two areas of the Ganga:
- Upstream, near Haiderpur Wetland
- Downstream, in the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The turtles were carefully chosen based on their health, sex, and morphometric characteristics. Proper procedures, including hydration maintenance and minimising stress, were followed to ensure a successful translocation.
- The reintroduction effort will help gather important data for future conservation actions for other endangered species, with sonic transmitters attached to the turtles to monitor their movements and health.
