Assam marked a major milestone in wildlife conservation with the release of India’s first satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle in the Brahmaputra at Kaziranga National Park.
The turtle was released on April 28 but the development came to light on Friday after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X on Endangered Species Day.
Sarma wrote: “A first for India at Kaziranga! Marking #EndangeredSpeciesDay, the country’s 1st satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle was released in @kaziranga_, a major step for wildlife conservation.”
A healthy adult turtle was captured, fitted with a transmitter under veterinary supervision and released along the north bank of the Brahmaputra, which flows along the northern part of the park.
The satellite-tagging exercise was carried out under the Union environment ministry by a team led by Wildlife Institute of India senior scientist Abhijit Das in collaboration with Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and the Assam forest department. The project received financial support from the National Geographic Society.
Officials said the exercise would help identify valuable habitats for endangered species such as the Ganges softshell turtle in Kaziranga’s riverine landscape.
“Understanding seasonal movement pattern, home range and identifying critical habitats like nesting and breeding will help in active management of softshell in Brahmaputra river basin,” Das said in a statement.
Das told The Telegraph satellite tagging was the best way to monitor difficult-to-study freshwater turtles inhabiting huge rivers like the Brahmaputra. The technology would help researchers gather information on seasonal and daily movement, home range, basking sites and nesting habitats over a long period.
The development was made public only after signals from the device were received for two days.
Assam is considered one of the world’s priority areas for freshwater turtle conservation, with 21 species found in the state. Of the eight softshell turtle species reported from India, five are found only in Kaziranga.
The Ganges softshell turtle, or Nilssonia gangetica, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.