GUWAHATI: The critically endangered Asian giant tortoise, the largest tortoise in mainland Asia, has been reintroduced into the Zeliang Community Reserve in Nagaland’s Peren district.
Officials in the State said 10 individuals of the species from the Nagaland Zoological Park in Chümoukedima district’s Rangapahar were released in the reserve through a community event on August 2. The event was organised by the Nagaland Forest Department and the India Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP).
“These tortoises were bred and head-started from a conservation colony in our park, which has India’s largest captive population of the species,” C. Zupeni Tsanglai, Director of the Nagaland Zoological Park, said on Monday.
Youths from the local community have been engaged as ‘tortoise guardians’ to ensure protection of the released tortoises and assist in data collection. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Once found in large numbers, the Asian giant tortoise was almost wiped out from Nagaland more than a decade ago. Following a long-term agreement with the State Forest Department, the ITCP started the conservation project in 2018 with tortoises mostly donated by people who kept them as pets.
