Nov

Rescued Softshell Turtle Treated for Injuries at CWRC, Released into the Wild

CWRC, Kaziranga National Park, October 3, 2016: A rescued softshell turtle, treated at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC; the wildlife rescue, care and rehabilitation facility run by IFAW-WTI and the Assam Forest Department) for multiple injuries from fishing hooks, was released into a stream in the central forest range of Kaziranga National Park last week.

_{The softshell turtle convalescing in a makeshift water body at CWRC}

The ‘Schedule- I’ turtle had been rescued by frontline forest staff of the Golaghat division and brought to the Numalgarh Beat office, whereupon it was handed over to CWRC’s Mobile Veterinary Service for further care on September 21. The creature was 1.6m in length and weighed 59kg when admitted to CWRC, and was in critical condition with three severe injuries from large fishing hooks.

Softshell turtles are found in streams that connect to larger rivers like the Brahmaputra and are often caught up in fishing nets and hooks meant for large fish. The injuries they sustain, while common, do not always come to light because of the illegal trade in softshell species.

_{MVS vet Dr Samshul Ali releases the softshell turtle into a water body in the central range of Kaziranga National Park}

“The fishing hooks were deeply embedded in the turtle’s body and had to be surgically removed”, said Dr Samshul Ali, the CWRC veterinarian who handled the surgery and subsequent wild release. “The turtle responded well and was kept at a makeshift water body at the centre while it recovered. It was released into a suitable stream in Kaziranga on September 26.”