Guwahati, May 23: The endangered Assam roofed turtle ( Pangshura sylhetensis) got a fresh lease of life on World Turtle Day today with the starting of a conservation breeding facility at the Assam state zoo.

Locally known as asomi dura, the rare animal is found mostly in Assam and some parts of Bangladesh.

The programme is a joint venture of the Assam forest department and the NGO, Turtle Survival Alliance.

State forest minister Atuwa Munda inaugurated the facility in the presence of senior forest officials. Munda said it was a very good initiative by the Assam state zoo and comes on an appropriate day.

A senior zoo official said four Assam roofed turtles, three female and one male, were released in the facility.

Raja Mandal, a senior official with Turtle Survival Alliance, said the organisation is working for the first time in a zoo in Northeast.

"A lot of awareness can be done in a zoo and this can save the species from getting poached," Mandal said.

The lifespan of the Assam roofed turtle is 140 years and the eggs are laid from January to March.

Similar habitat has been created in the facility for the turtles.

Of the 21 species of turtles found in the Northeast, 19 are from Assam. Most of the turtles of Assam are threatened species and also suffer from unsustainable subsistence exploitation.

"This is an extremely rare species. It occurs scarcely in scattered localities. The forest stream habitat is being impacted by conversion to tea plantations," the IUCN Red List report says.

No population estimate for the species is available. Pet trade is another threat to the species.

Experts say more intensive surveys are needed to document the population status and threats to this species of turtles.