Northern River Terrapin: Endangered turtles play fast and loose with borders

What is the News?

Forest officials had installed GPS transmitters on Northern River Terrapin in Indian Sundarbans. After just six weeks, at least three of these turtles have travelled hundreds of kilometres and are now in Bangladesh. 

What is Northern River Terrapin?

Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It is one of Asia’s largest freshwater and breakwater turtles. 

Conservation status:

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

CITES: Appendix I

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Found in: The species is currently found in Bangladesh and India(in the Sunderbans), Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. It is regionally extinct in Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Habitat: They spend most of their time in water and only come on land to lay eggs. They are even known to undertake long seasonal migrations to the sandbanks where they were hatched.

Diet: They have an omnivorous diet, taking waterside plants and small animals such as clams.

Threats: Hunting and harvesting of eggs, Pollution and loss of habitat, Incidental drowning by getting trapped in fishing nets and Destructive fishing practices.

Source: This post is based on the article “Endangered turtles play fast and loose with borders” published in The Hindu on 7th Mar 2022.