<p class="title">Bengaluru-based wildlife researchers on Tuesday reported the discovery of a new tortoise species from Northeast India.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During an expedition in Arunachal Pradesh involving forest officials, the researchers chanced upon two individuals (a male and a female) of the Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa) in June 2019 near Yazali of Lower Subansari district.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The discovery is the first record of this tortoise from India, increasing the total number to 29 species of non-marine chelonians (the tortoise and turtle family in common man's parlance) and five tortoises in the country. </p>.<p class="bodytext">This is an elusive medium-sized tortoise species which inhabits moist primary forests of the hilly tracts of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The joint expedition was carried out by the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, Help Earth and Turtle Survival Alliance of the Wildlife Conservation Society-India. </p>.<p class="bodytext">"The latest sighting further raises the status of the country as well as the state on the list of strategic turtle conservation priority areas," the WCS said in a press statement. The last reported range of the species was from Gwa in Myanmar, where the WCS is carrying out a conservation breeding of this endangered tortoise for further reintroduction into the wild. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Both the animals were examined, marked and photographed before being released back into the precise location of occurrence. </p>.<p class="bodytext">This finding highlights the importance of conducting an extensive herpeto-faunal survey in northeastern India, especially in border areas. </p>
<p class="title">Bengaluru-based wildlife researchers on Tuesday reported the discovery of a new tortoise species from Northeast India.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During an expedition in Arunachal Pradesh involving forest officials, the researchers chanced upon two individuals (a male and a female) of the Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa) in June 2019 near Yazali of Lower Subansari district.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The discovery is the first record of this tortoise from India, increasing the total number to 29 species of non-marine chelonians (the tortoise and turtle family in common man's parlance) and five tortoises in the country. </p>.<p class="bodytext">This is an elusive medium-sized tortoise species which inhabits moist primary forests of the hilly tracts of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The joint expedition was carried out by the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, Help Earth and Turtle Survival Alliance of the Wildlife Conservation Society-India. </p>.<p class="bodytext">"The latest sighting further raises the status of the country as well as the state on the list of strategic turtle conservation priority areas," the WCS said in a press statement. The last reported range of the species was from Gwa in Myanmar, where the WCS is carrying out a conservation breeding of this endangered tortoise for further reintroduction into the wild. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Both the animals were examined, marked and photographed before being released back into the precise location of occurrence. </p>.<p class="bodytext">This finding highlights the importance of conducting an extensive herpeto-faunal survey in northeastern India, especially in border areas. </p>