The Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) is a hard-shelled, brackish water-dwelling turtle inhabiting the tidal-influenced estuaries of large rivers and the Bay of Bengal across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Once flourishing abundantly, the species' once-thriving wild populace now hovers precariously on the brink of annihilation, driven by unrelenting poaching for its delectable meat, ongoing and excessive egg harvesting, and the relentless destruction of its habitat due to a compounding of natural and human-induced pressures. In the confines of India, the Batagur baska claims its last stand within the Sundarban region, a distinctive mangrove ecosystem graced by the presence of tigers.

Yet, even within this unique habitat, the species has witnessed decimation across much of its historical range, with its current geographical reach registering a state of functional extinction, accentuated by a persistent decline in its wild population.The Sundarban Tiger Reserve and the Turtle Survival Alliance have undertaken concerted efforts towards the conservation breeding initiative aimed at resurrecting the Batagur baska since 2008. Through diligent and tireless endeavours, a noteworthy assembly of offspring, arising from a modest founder population, has now been instrumental in reversing the perilous tide that once threatened the species. The culmination of more than a decade's unwavering commitment, which deftly connected previously obscure dots, has unveiled a reservoir of hope, poised to orchestrate the resurgence of a species that had been perilously teetering on the precipice of extinction.

Rewilding

Turtle Survival Alliance India Program and Sundarbans Tiger Reserve of West Bengal Forest Department released ten captive-bred Northern River Terrapins (Batagur baska) to Sundarbans National Park on January 19. This first ever monitored rewilding of the Critically Endangered terrapin in India comes after more than a decade of conservation breeding at designated facilities within the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. Together with previous releases with our partners in Bangladesh of Northern River Terrapins equipped with satellite transmitters, this pilot release will serve to quantify movement and survivorship and will guide a strategy for future reintroductions of the species in India. In the presence of hundreds of local citizens, the ten terrapins were ceremoniously blessed prior to release by a priest at the temple of Bonbibi, the forest goddess of the Sundarbans. In a heavily human-impacted ecosystem where fishing practices are intense and widespread, success of this rewilding attempt depends on our ability to encourage local riverine communities to embrace the return of this iconic turtle. With this blessing of Bonbibi the goal was to create a cultural connection for the return of the terrapin to the mangrove forest’s ecology.

Baska Awareness Program

In Sundarbans, awareness programs cum meeting with village resource persons and community members are being done regularly. The participants are informed of the project activities and their support was requested for the cause were they are informed about species, important habitat, behaviour, threats and about the reintroduction program. Community members are also encouraged to spread the knowledge among the fellow villagers, especially children to report any animal sighting. Regular programs are also being conducted with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) in Sundarban Tiger Reserve with distribution of awareness material to inform them about the B. baska reintroduction project and how they can contribute in reporting and monitoring of the rehabilitated species.