The International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2002 declared the black soft-shell turtle or Bostami turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) as extinct species. But in 2011, Dr. Jayaditya from the Help Earth NGO found a group of black soft-shell turtles in a temple pond in Hajo, Assam. He and his team members came forward to save the innocent species and developed an ecosystem more conducive to the turtle's natural habitat. After that, they observed a positive egg ratio produced around the temple premises. The State Zoo of Assam has been playing an important role in this conservation project, baby turtles are reared for six months. When they are fit and healthy and capable of surviving, the young turtles are released. The State Zoo of Assam has released 300 turtles as per 2016 data. It is reported that 16 Temple Committees in Assam have come forward to save the turtles, under a conservation project.
Anyway, credit goes to the Hajo Temple committee, and I wish to mention here about the temple and Hajo as I visited more than 30 years back Hajo which is a little more than 40 kilometers away from Assam State Transport Corporation office of Paltan Bazar, Guwahati. In Hajo, Hayagriva Madhava Temple is located, and in the pond adjacent to the temple the black softshell turtles still extant albeit, in 2002 unfortunately, the International Union for Conservation of Nature stated the black soft-shell turtle as extinct species.
These turtles are very aquatic, and hardly leave the water and prefer to live in sandy- or muddy-bottomed waters, where they will spend long periods buried in the substrate. Their necks are long and have a very distinct nose and face, with a tube-like structure bloated from its nose resembling and functioning similar to a snorkel. The turtles mature slowly – generally, males are ready to breed by their fourth year, females take seven to nine years to mature. The females leave the water to deposit the eggs in shallow pits dug into sandy beaches. The eggs develop in between 60 and 90 days, after which the young will break out of the eggs using their temporary egg-tooth and front legs.
The size of an adult turtle is in the range of 15 inches to 31 inches in width and in lengths 13 inches to 28 inches. The weight of a mature turtle is more than 50 kilograms. It survives even more than 100 years. However, this species has a high mortality rate at the beginning stages of life, with more than 90 percent of eggs without hatching capabilities. These turtles are carnivorous and prefer fish, crustaceans, amphibians, insects, and other creatures.
Through this publication, I request all the readers to please come forward to save the species which are endangered. This beautiful world is not only for human beings but for all creatures.
Dr. Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad
The following websites have been consulted while preparing the article:
5) animals.mom.com/softshell-turtles-survive-4080.html
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