80 rescued turtles battle for life at Dahanu centre

The 80 turtles found stuffed inside an unclaimed travel bag, belonging to two endangered species, Indian Tent and Indian Roofed Turtles, which were seized last Saturday from a Dadar suburban platform by railway police force (RPF), are battling for life. Of the 80, five were already dead when found, 15 have died since, and the remaining turtles have been shifted to a Dahanu rescue centre run by the forest department.

At about 7.55pm on October 1 when train number 12533 UP Pushpak Express arrived at Dadar, an on-duty RPF staff noticed an unclaimed black travel bag near the ladies coach. Slight movement inside the bag prompted the staff to open it when 75 live turtles and five dead turtles were found inside and handed over to Thane Forest Department (TFD) officials who came to Dadar to collect the turtles. The same night, they were rushed to the Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) hospital for check-up and medical certification.

According to Shakuntala Mazumdar, president, TSPCA, the turtles had been shabbily transported which was the cause of their poor state. From the TSPCA hospital, the turtles were shifted to the forest department’s office in Thane and continue to remain there.

A TFD official said, “The turtles have been shifted to a turtle rescue centre which has a veterinary doctor too. Till the time they were with us, we fed them. We suspect these turtles were smuggled from Uttar Pradesh and couldn’t survive due to change in habitat.”

Dr Shailendra Singh, director, Turtle Survival Alliance India, termed the two species of turtle as vulnerable and said, “The Wildlife Protection Act at one place lists Indian Roofed Turtles as Schedule I (endangered species) but does not list Indian Tent turtles in any category at all. This probably is because turtles are not easily available in the market.”

Explaining why some of the turtles died, Dr Singh said, “The main reason for them not to survive could be dehydration, stress or sudden change in environment. They are usually sold at Rs 1,000 per turtle.”