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| India
presents an interesting admixture of Palearctic and Oriental elements in its herpetofauna.
Order Testudines has had a long and eventful history as revealed from the unearthed
fossils. There are 38 species and sub species of turtles and tortoises belonging
to five families. In West Bengal, about 21 species and sub-species are generally
found.
Turtles
feature in local cultures, folklores and mythology in an incredibly large number
of ways. These are poached for food(meat, eggs and fat), keeping as pets, traditional
medicine and for commercial use from derivatives as tortoise shell, stuffed carapaces,
leather etc.
Turtles
play an important role in the eco-system . Scrubbed species feed on poor quality
forage that are unsuitable for livestock, converting useless weeds
into protein-rich food. Many freshwater turtles feed on water-dwelling organisms,
including snails and insects that may spread various kinds of diseases, and by
removing these from the ecosystem, turtles help in maintaining a healthy community
of organisms. The Indian flapshell turtle and the Indian softshell turtle are
also known to
scavenge a long distance from water on large animal carcasses, and their role
in nutrient dynamics of waterways and surrounding areas is probably quite important. Two
most endangered species of the state are River Terrapin Batagur baska and
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea. Batagur baska also
known as pora/sona katha, in Bengali, is restricted to the estuaries of
the river Ganga and Brahmaputra, known as Sunderbans.
Specific
localities in the Sunderbans where the species nests in India include Kanak, Nagbarachar,
Kedo and Mechua. In the Sunderbans, the River Terrapin is caught in tiger prawn
net. The species is sometimes kept as pet. It is also caught for food. In the
past, river terrapins were used to make turtle soup and were captured in large
numbers from the mouth of the Hooghly river and transported to Calcutta.
| …turtles
scavenge our waterways…
| Important
nesting beaches of Olive Ridley on the East coast include the Sunderbans, where
large numbers of Ridleys nest, particularly in Kanak, Shaimari (on Dalhousie islands)
and Mechua. They migrate to the shallow coastal waters from a long distance to
breed. They may travel upriver as far as 100km from the sea mouth in the Sunderbans.
Click
for Interactive
Marine
Turtle mapping...
All species
marine turtles and more than a dozen fresh water turtle species have become endangered
due to ruthless killing by humans. There is a significant illegal trade in fresh
water turtles from neighboring areas to West Bengal for local consumption and
smuggling to neighbouring countries. Marine turtles are poached in Orissa and
West Bengal and brought to the markets by road and rail.
| …
Ruthless
killing has
endangered the
turtle… |
Fresh water turtles are caught in most of the large river systems. Non-substance
exploitation, i.e. trade, in turtles is a big business involving thousands of
fishermen, villagers and even specialised turtlers. The greatest level of exploitation
takes place in the major river systems and along the coasts.
Egg-laying and hatching seasons of different species are the most important time
for protection against poaching.
Pollution
of water-ways by oil spillage , disposal of chemical wastes and pesticides and
fertilisers wash-offs, draining of water-ways for agriculture or housing, mining
and sand removal from the nesting grounds, cultivation along river banks and damming
of rivers for generating hydro-electric power, controlling floods and irrigation
indirectly threaten wild populations of turtles.
Conservation
measures for sea turtle have been initiated and are being conducted by both Government
and non-Government organisations for reducing mortality during the egg stage.
This includes egg collection and incubation under artificial conditions in the
Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Intensive patrolling throught the day and night from
November to February along the coastal areas and other sensitive zones for capturing
offenders, creating awareness campaign in local markets, organising raids in the
market are some of the measures that have been adopted to protect the species.
| …save
it for our own good…
| Since
turtle meat reaches the markets in the cities, awareness among citizens about
the need to protect this species is absolutely essential for its conservation.
If our waterways are to remain clean, then turtles have got to be saved. They
are an important link in the food chain which if lost will cause an irreparable
harm to mankind's future in this planet.
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