HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Sept 1: A total of 12 turtles were rescued during a dramatic 4-hour long operation, from a 45 feet deep well in Laokhowa Bazar area of Nagaon recently.
The operation was successfully led by Dr. Smarajit Ojah, assistant professor of Geography, Nowgong Girls’ College and assisted by Debojyoti Nath and Biju Deka of Wild Aid Assam and Abhijit Sarma Konwar, Nandadulal Das, Pranab Bordoloi and Jadab Konwar, forest staff of Laokhowa Beat under Nagaon Wildlife Division.
Dr. Ojah said that the turtles were captured by local fishermen as fishery bi-catch from the Brahmaputra River had been thrown into the well located adjacent to the Laokhowa Bazar by some local fishermen.
On getting the information from the staff of the Laokhowa Beat, a detailed rescue release strategy was planned out. The team used a pump to reduce the water level of the well and then Dr. Ojah and Haren Das, a local resident, climbed down almost 45 feet into the well shaft using a bamboo pole into waist-deep water to rescue the turtles.
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The turtles were medically examined by eminent veterinarian of Nagaon, Dr. Rupak Nath, and identified by Dr. Rajeev Basumatary, assistant professor of Zoology, D.R. College and advisor, Turtle Survival Alliance before being released in the Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary of Sonitpur district in presence of Sonam Kumar Gupta, range officer, Dhania Range and his staff.
The rescued turtles comprised of Gangetic Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia Gangetica), two Assam Roofed Turtles (Pangshura Sylhetensis), three Spotted Pond Turtles (Geoclemys Hamiltonii¬) and six Indian Tent Turtles (Pangshura Tentoria). The Gangetic Softshell, Assam Roofed and Spotted Pond Turtles are classified as Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972. The Assam Roofed turtle is a critically endangered species while the Gangetic Softshell and Spotted Pond Turtles are endangered as per the IUCN 2020-21.
Locals and experts lauded the daring rescue effort and also requested the forest department to carry out awareness and monitoring activities in the area to avoid such incidents in the future.
