Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Conservation teams released 240 Black Softshell Turtle hatchlings into a protected waterbody in the Biswanath Wildlife Division. This effort supports the decade-long initiative titled Conservation and Recovery of Black Softshell Turtle in Assam. The species, known locally as Bormuria Kaso, remains critically endangered after being declared extinct in the wild during the early 2000s.
Wildlife Survival Alliance Foundation India worked with the Biswanath Wildlife Division, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, and the Assam Forest Department on the project. The Nagshankar Temple pond serves as a hub for the program. Staff collect eggs from the temple premises during the March and April nesting season. They move the eggs to Biswanath Ghat for controlled artificial incubation to stop predators like mongooses from raiding nests. The hatchlings emerge in July and August. They spend three months in a grow-out facility where they eat fresh small fish to gain weight before their release.
WSAFI project coordinator Upamanyu Chakraborty, Aditya Dey, and Krishna Das oversaw the operation alongside Naduar MLA Padma Hazarika. Other attendees included the Biswanath Wildlife Division DFO, the Range Officer, and Nagshankar Temple Committee secretary Rajib Barua. The foundation has released over 1,000 turtles since 2021. Experts describe the species as water vultures because they scavenge and keep aquatic ecosystems healthy.
The team provided guests with gamosas featuring turtle motifs. These items were made by Kaso Sakhi, a local women's group supported by WSAFI. The group works to boost local income and reduce reliance on river harvesting. Regarding the ongoing efforts to restore the species, Upamanyu Chakraborty noted, "The release of the 240 hatchlings marks another milestone in efforts to rebuild the Black Softshell Turtle population in Assam and strengthen the long-term survival of the species in its natural habitat."
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