Red-Crowned Roofed Turtles, last seen in Ganga's main channel 30 years ago, reintroduced in river

NEW DELHI: In a move that may go a long way in restoring the complete ecosystem of the river Ganga, 20 critically endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtles have been reintroduced in the river in Uttar Pradesh. The turtle species was last seen in the main channel of the river 30 years ago.

The goal of reintroduction is to establish the species' population in the Ganga in a stable manner, and inspire the improvement of the ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Union Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil described the reintroduction move as an important milestone in restoring the ecology of the Ganga river.

As part of the process, the turtles were transferred from the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Center into the Haiderpur Wetland in Uttar Pradesh. These turtles were tagged with sonic devices to monitor their safety and migration.

"For the reintroduction process, the turtles were divided into two groups - one group was released above the barrage of the Haiderpur Wetland, while the other was released downstream in the main channel of the Ganga," said a statement from the Jal Shakti ministry.

It said, "This approach aims to determine which method is more effective for the turtles' reintroduction."

During the monsoon season, the Haiderpur Wetland will completely connect with the main channel of the Ganga, allowing the turtles to disperse at their own pace. Over the next two years, the tracking and monitoring of these turtles will be conducted.