Three abandoned turtles rescued from Andheri

Mumbai: Three endangered turtles were rescued from Andheri on Thursday morning. Anusha Srinivasan Iyer from Four Bungalows, Andheri west, called the NGO, PAWS Mumbai, about the turtles that were packed in a plastic cover and dumped in front of a house in the vicinity.

Soon after, the forest department along with the NGO rescued the two soft shelled turtles and one Northern River Terrapin – all protected under schedule one of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

“Normally, we get puppies and kittens abandoned outside our home, Pawsitive Farm Sanctu-ary. Today morning, we saw a large blue plastic cover and a head popped out from it and a pair of eyes looked at me and it was a turtle. We found three turtles quite large in size inside the cover,” said Ms Anusha.

The NGO asked her to keep a watch on them even as the rescue team reached the spot.

“They clearly seem to be abandoned pets as they belong to big species. People tend to buy pint-sized turtles for Feng Shui and good luck and they are even gifted by friends. However, as they grow, people want to get rid of them as the small fish tank becomes insufficient for them,” said Nis-ha Subramanian Kunju, administrator of PAWS. The forest department was informed about the matter and medical examination was carried out.

Veterinarian Dr Rahul Meshram, who was consulted about the turtles, said, “The three turtles. are healthy and fit to be released into their natural habitat.”