GUWAHATI: A total of 240 black softshell turtle hatchlings were released into a protected waterbody under Assam's Biswanath Wildlife Division.
The species, locally known as Bormuria Kaso and scientifically called Nilssonia nigricans, was once declared extinct in the wild. It remains listed as critically endangered.
The release was organised by the Wildlife Survival Alliance Foundation India (WSAFI) with the Biswanath Wildlife Division, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve and the Assam Forest Department as part of the Conservation and Recovery of Black Softshell Turtle in Assam initiative.
Eggs were collected from the Nagshankar Temple pond during the March-April nesting season and artificially incubated at Biswanath Ghat. The process protected the eggs from predators, particularly mongooses, and improved hatching success.
The hatchlings emerged in July and August and spent around three months at a grow-out facility, where they were fed fresh small fish before being released into natural habitats.
WSAFI, formerly TSA Foundation India, has released more than 1,000 hatchlings in the wild since 2021.
Naduar MLA Padma Hazarika, the divisional forest officer of Biswanath Wildlife Division, the range officer, Nagshankar Temple Committee secretary Rajib Barua, WSAFI Northeast project coordinator Upamanyu Chakraborty, Aditya Dey and Krishna Das attended the programme.
