In News
- Recently, forest officials from Odisha found 40 Indian flapshell turtles (Lissemys punctata) in baskets in an alleged smuggling racket.
Indian Flapshell Turtle
- It is a freshwater species of turtle and is found in many states.
- The “flap-shelled” name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron.
- It is a relatively small soft-shell turtle with a carapace length of up to 350 millimetres.
- The fresh water turtle is a scavenger in the river, but has been in decline for a long time.
- Reasons for Smuggling:
- For aphrodisiac properties,
- Livestock feed,
- To make leather from their skins,
- To make potions from their blood and
- To use as fishing bait.
Turtles Types
- There are seven species of sea turtle: Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle and Flatback Sea Turtle.
- There are five species in Indian waters (Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley).
- The Hawksbill turtle is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ and Green Turtle is listed as ‘Endangereed’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Smuggling of turtles, one of the Class 1 species of the water animal, is a non-bailable offence under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Sea Turtle Conservation Programme
- Awareness Programmes
- Dedicated Action Plan: India has for the first time devised a dedicated action plan for the protection and conservation of marine turtles.
Source: DTE
