Satellite-Tagged Ganges Soft-Shell Turtle Freed in Kaziranga
Why in the news
A Ganges soft-shell turtle fitted with a satellite transmitter, a first for India, went back into the wild at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam. The release took place around Endangered Species Day and marks progress in freshwater turtle conservation.
Key facts
- Species: Ganges soft-shell turtle, Nilssonia gangetica, an endangered freshwater reptile.
- Site: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (1,302 sq km), Assam.
- Lead scientist: Dr Abhijit Das, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), under the Environment Ministry (MoEFCC).
- Partners: Kaziranga park authorities and the Assam Forest Department; funder: National Geographic Society.
- Method: a healthy adult was caught, fitted with a transmitter under veterinary supervision and set free in its habitat.
Species profile
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identification | Arrowhead-shaped marks on the head; soft, leathery shell |
| Habitat | Large rivers, lakes and reservoirs |
| Ecological role | Major river predator and scavenger of dead and decaying animal matter; helps keep rivers clean |
| Legal status | Schedule-I, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 |
| IUCN Red List | Endangered |
| Assam link | Five of India’s eight soft-shell species occur in the Kaziranga landscape |
Significance
- Satellite telemetry gives continuous, location-accurate data on seasonal movement, home ranges and nesting or breeding sites.
- Such data guides active species management in the Brahmaputra basin, which conventional surveys cannot match.
Background
- Soft-shell vs hard-shell: soft-shell turtles (family Trionychidae) have a flexible leathery carapace and are fast, aquatic predators; hard-shell turtles have a bony carapace covered by keratin scutes.
- Kaziranga: in Assam’s Golaghat and Nagaon districts, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and a Tiger Reserve, declared a National Park in 1974; it holds two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos.
- WII: autonomous institution under MoEFCC, set up in 1982 in Dehradun.
- Endangered Species Day: observed on the third Friday of May; set up in 2006.
- The Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022 restructured the schedules and aligned them closer to CITES.
Exam angle
- Scientific name: Nilssonia gangetica.
- Satellite telemetry: GPS transmitters relay animal locations via satellites.
- Other turtles: Olive Ridley, known for mass nesting (arribada) in Odisha.