Salt Lake: An 11-year-old boy passionate about wildlife saw a turtle being sold at a market near Howrah's Sankrail, bought it with his father's money and handed it over to the forest department.

A conservationist said what Asmit Biswas rescued on Saturday was an Indian Flapshell Turtle, a Schedule I animal protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. Killing, hunting or selling a Schedule I animal is illegal.

Asmit, a Class VII student of St Joseph's College is Bowbazar, was travelling with his father in their car when he spotted the turtle at a roadside shop selling fish at the Chanpatala market near Sankrail.

"I asked Driver Uncle to stop. I got off with my father and told the shopkeeper that he should not be selling turtles," the boy recounted at the forest department's Wild Animal Rescue and Transit Facility Centre in Salt Lake, which he visited with his parents and sister to hand over the turtle on Wednesday.

The trader bluntly told Asmit to mind his own business and even tried to encourage him to buy the turtle. Asmit told his father that he wanted to buy it. His father agreed. "I knew if I did not buy the turtle, someone else would and kill it for its meat," the boy said.

The trader demanded Rs 1,000 for the 2-kg turtle but agreed to sell it for Rs 700.

On returning home to central Calcutta, the boy kept the turtle in a bucket and poured some water in it. Over the next few days the family fed it shells and rice.

Asmit's father called up SHER, an NGO that works for nature and wildlife, and told them about the rescue. The organisation passed on the information to the forest department. It was decided that Asmit would hand over the turtle to the department on Wednesday to mark World Turtle Day.

M.K. Josh, of the Salt Lake facility, said the turtle was an adult male and was around 10inch in length and 8inch in width.

Asmit, whose love for wildlife has grown listening to conservation lectures in school and reading wildlife magazines, saved the turtle from dying a painful death. "A turtle is not killed before it is cut into pieces. The sellers slice off portions according the demand. The animal writhes in pain," said Suchandra Kundu, a co-founder of SHER.

An official said anyone rescuing a protected animal should alert the forest department, directly or through an organisation. The department's toll-free number is 1926.