Hyderabad: In what brings smiles to animal lovers and the general public alike, 330 turtles that were rescued from Hyderabad on July 31 will now be making their way back home in Uttar Pradesh. These 330 turtles which were smuggled from their home near the Gomti river in Lucknow include Assam roofed turtles also known as Sylhet roofed turtle, belonging to a family of Geoemydidae which falls under Schedule-I of Wildlife Act.
“We have a team coming to the city to take the rescued turtles back to their home. To do so, we have to get written permission from the chief wildlife wardens of both Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Once they give their nod of approval, we will take them back to the banks of the Gomti river, where they originated from,” noted aquatic biologist, Shailendra Singh. The officials from Uttar Pradesh have applied for a transit permit, and it would take 30 days to be processed.
“Once the permit is processed, we will airlift the turtles back to Lucknow where they would be kept under quarantine. Once they are deemed to be healthy, we will release them near the riverbank,” he said.
It might be recalled that the office of the chief wildlife warden, Telangana, R. Shoba had conducted an undercover operation on July 31. The officials arrested two persons for the theft of 330 turtles from the banks of the Gomti River. The accused had plans of selling them to prospective buyers — aquarium shops and pet stores — in the city.
