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 Around 70 hatchlings of the rare Black Softshell and Indian Softshell turtles bred in the ponds of two temples in Assam were recently released in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The hatchlings from the temple ponds were nurtured at a conservation facility at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati.

The “wild restocking” of the two turtle species was done under a joint programme of the management committees of Ugra Tara Temple in Guwahati and Hayagriva Madhava Temple in Hajo, the Assam Forest Department and the NGOs, Turtle Survival Alliance and Help Earth.

“This wild restocking programme is important for sustaining turtles in the Brahmaputra river system, especially the Black Softshell (Nilssonia nigricans) that is considered extinct in the wild,” said Help Earth.

Assam is the most species-rich state in India in terms of turtle diversity. It is home to 20 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises out of 29 species found in India. But 80% of these species are threatened with extinction.

Pictures Credit : Google