KOLKATA: Ten northern river terrapins, one of the world’s most endangered turtle species, were released into the wild for the first time on Wednesday from a breeding centre in West Bengal’s Sunderban. The ten (Batagur baska) have been fitted with GPS transmitters, which will allow specialists to track them and learn more about their home area and environment, according to forest officials.
‘On Wednesday, we released ten sub-adults in the wild, including seven females and three males, after fitting them with GPS transmitters,’ said S Jones Justin, deputy field director of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Despite the fact that the species was previously common in West Bengal’s mangroves and estuaries, overfishing has resulted in a dramatic reduction in its population. Only a few of them are thought to be living in the wild in the Sunderban, the world’s largest mangrove delta.
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