Conservationists cautiously optimistic after release of rare terrapins into Sundarbans

Release of 10 geo-tagged Northern River Terrapins, bred in captivity, marks start of rewilding effort

Less than two decades ago, experts and forest officials were not sure if the once plentiful Nothern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) had survived in the wetlands of Sundarbans. Widespread in the coastal mangrove swamps, rivers, and estuaries of Odisha and West Bengal in the early 1900s, unsustainable harvesting had resulted in sharp decline in the population.

In 2008, a joint exploration of the mangroves and tidal creeks by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) located a cohort of eight males, three females and one juvenile at in a pond at the Sajnekhali Interpretation Center. Since then, the conservation breeding of the species, categorised as critically endangered by IUCN Red List, has been a success with around 12 adults and close to 370 juveniles of the species having been bred in captivity so far.