Forest officials seize 40 turtles from Odisha’s Malkangiri

Last Updated07/11/2021

Forest officials from Odisha found 40 Indian flapshell turtles (Lissemys punctata) in baskets in an alleged smuggling racket. All of them were released into the Satiguda dam.
The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater species of turtle and is found in many states.
The “flap-shelled” name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron.

They are found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh (Indus and Ganges drainages), and Myanmar (Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers).
They live in the shallow, quiet, often stagnant waters of rivers, streams, marshes, ponds, lakes and irrigation canals, and tanks.
These turtles prefer waters with sand or mud bottoms because of their tendency to burrow.

They are the reptiles of the order Testudines, characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield.
It can reside inside freshwater or saltwater.
Turtles are cold-blooded species.
Cold blooded species have a higher range of body temperature and move between environments to make themselves warmer or cooler.
They have very slow metabolism and can survive without food and water for a long time.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) most of the species of turtles and tortoises are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
There are five species in Indian waters i.e. Olive Ridley, Green turtle, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Leatherback.

Turtles are smuggled and killed for their supposed aphrodisiac properties, livestock feed, to make leather from their skins, to make potions from their blood and to use as fishing bait.
Turtles are also used for meat and medicines.

They play an important role in the river by scavenging dead organic material and diseased fish by controlling the water pollution.
They also help in maintaining healthy fish stocks in the water by giving them habitat over their body.
There populations could improve seagrass ecosystem health by removing seagrass biomass and preventing sediment formation.
They are also transporters of nutrients and energy to coastal areas.

It has a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India.
It was developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
The Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead are listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The Hawksbill turtle is listed as 'Critically Endangered' and Green Turtle is listed as 'Endangereed' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
They are protected in Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, under Schedule I.
Turtles have been protected in India under the Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation programme.
World Turtle Day is observed every year on 23rd May.