138 Indian Roofed Turtles rescued in Ctg

The Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division rescued 138 endangered Indian Roofed Turtles from two pet shops in Chattogram's Station Road on Thursday (5 April).

On a tip-off, a team from the department led by Dipannita Bhattacharjee, Chattogram District Wildlife and Nature Conservation officer, conducted a raid at two shops named "Bismillah Fish and Birds Center" and "Reshma Aquarium and Birds Center" on Station Road around 3:00pm and made the recovery.

"According to the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act-2012, the Indian Roofed Turtle, locally known as Kori Kaitta, is a protected species of turtle," Dipannita Bhattacharjee told The Business Standard.

"The owners of the pet shops collected the turtles from local sources and showcased them in their shop for sale, which is illegal. They also coloured the shell of the turtles red to make them look attractive."

"Sensing the raid, the shop owners fled from the spot. We seized 110 turtles from the named 'Bismillah Fish and Birds Center' and 28 turtles from 'Reshma Aquarium and Birds Center' and took them to the divisional headquarters of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department," she added.

A case is in process against the owners of the shops.