Tripura’s rare Bostami turtles facing extinction, govt launches study

Agartala: The softshell Bostami turtles, an endangered species found in a lake surrounding the Tripureswari Temple in Tripura's Gomati district, are facing extinction, officials said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had classified the specimen as extinct in the wild, they said.

The 15th-century temple, constructed by King Dhanyamanikya in Udaipur, around 55 km from Agartala, is considered to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines in the country, and it is among the 51 ‘Shakti Peeths’.

It is also known as ‘Kurma Pitha’ as the temple premises resemble 'Kurma’ or turtle.

The state government has sanctioned funds for a year-long study on Bostami turtles to be conducted by the Turtle Survival Alliance Foundation.

Gomati District Magistrate Tarit Kanti Chakma said the study is a priority for both the forest department and the district administration.

District Forest Officer (DFO) H Vignesh said a meeting in this connection was held recently between the DM and forest officials.

“A comprehensive study will be undertaken by the Turtle Survival Alliance Foundation, an Uttar Pradesh-based organisation, to determine the current population and its problems. Hatching generally occurs with the onset of monsoon. Accurate population data is lacking due to the absence of scientific studies,” Vignesh told PTI.

These turtles are considered a living relic of biodiversity and have symbolic significance in religious traditions, he said.

Spread over 6.4 acres, the Kalyan Sagar Lake had been a natural habitat of the turtles. However, around two decades ago, the temple committee cemented the banks of the lake, which led to the death of several turtles, officials of the state fisheries department said.

According to experts, the construction of the embankments increased the mortality of the turtles, disrupting their natural habitat and places for laying eggs.

"As an amphibian, it is extremely essential for the turtle to have sandy exposure, which is not available in the lake after the construction of walls around the waterbody," said Mrinal Kanti Dutta, a former professor of Central Fisheries College in Lembucherra.

Jyoti Prakash Roy Chowdhury, an environmentalist and former member of the state’s Wildlife Board, said the turtles faced problems basking on the banks, as the embankments were cemented.

“One side of the embankment needs to be dismantled and land near the lake acquired so that the turtles could comfortably lay eggs,” Roy Chowdhury told PTI.

Sources in the fisheries department said shifting of the animals from the pond is impossible due to the religious beliefs of the locals.

A population of these turtles was identified in the ‘kacha pukuri ‘ (pond) on Nilachal hill, next to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Roy Chowdhury said.

These turtles were traditionally believed to be nearly extinct and only available in a pond of the shrine of Hazrat Bayezid Bostami in Chittagong, where there are around 150 of them.

“It has been found that at least one wild population still exists in the Jia Bhoroli River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra in Assam,” Roy Chowdhury said.

He also said that there may be some genetic problems, as breeding is taking place within a small community in lakes or ponds.

“Therefore, exchange of population and breeding among the new communities is needed to avoid any genetic issues,” he added.