Indian temple helps nurture 'extinct' turtle back to life

JUNE 11, 2019

by Anup Sharma

The black softshell turtle is officially extinct in the wild, but a centuries-old Indian temple and its nature-loving caretaker are helping the creature make a tentative comeback.

The northeastern state of Assam was once rich in freshwater turtles, but habitat loss and over-exploitation—they were once a popular local food—have massively depleted their population.

The black softshell turtle was declared extinct in the wild in 2002 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while the Indian softshell turtle and the Indian peacock softshell turtle are classified as vulnerable.

But all the while, the pond of the Hayagriva Madhav temple in the Hajo pilgrimage centre has provided a safe haven, thanks to the sacred status of turtles protecting them from harm.

"There are plenty of turtles in the temple pond," said Jayaditya Purkayastha, from conservation group Good Earth.

The group has teamed up with the temple authorities in a breeding programme.

"The population of the turtle in Assam has gone down by a great extent. So we thought we needed to intervene and do something to save the species from extinction," he told AFP.

Continued