Endangered turtles fitted with GPS transmitters swim across to Bangladesh
The Hindu
One of them covered a distance of about 400 kilometres
Animals in nature know no international boundaries and this has come as some sort of a surprise and challenge to experts and forest officials who installed GPS transmitters on Nothern River Terrapin in Indian Sundarbans.
In just six weeks after the release, at least three of the ten individuals of the critically endangered Northern River Terrapin ( Batagur baska) have travelled hundreds of kilometers and are now in Bangladesh.
Shailendra Singh, director of Turtle Survival Alliance India, who played an important role in the conservation and release of the turtles, said that the animals have traversed hundreds of kilometers and in the case of one turtle that is in Bangladesh at present, the dispersal has been about 400 km.
“There are three turtles that have entered Bangladesh. In the case of maximum dispersal, the animal descended from the release site in Indian Sundarbans, crossed the sea and Bangladesh Sundarbans, and is now on its fringe area,” Dr. Singh said.
Of the three turtles in Bangladesh, one was caught by fishermen in Bangladesh who removed the transmitter from the animal.
“Fortunately, there was a telephone number on the transmitter and somehow the fishermen contacted the TSA office and we approached officials of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve. We are trying to bring the turtle back to India,” Dr. Singh said.
Of the ten animals released with the transmitter, signals are coming from six, four from India, and two from Bangladesh. Experts have pointed out that five of the animals have descended down from the site of release in Sundarbans and moved south.