A turtle caught in a fishing net in the Sunderbans was being taken to a local market when a team of foresters rescued it on Sunday, officials in the forest department said.
Hours later, the catch was identified as a green sea turtle, an endangered species.
“Today, a juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was rescued from Taldi in Canning by the staff of the Matla range of the South 24-Parganas division. This was the first spotting of the species in the region. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has confirmed this. The animal is kept under medical supervision at Jharkhali and will be released near sea after the vet declares it fit,” said Milan Kanti Mondal, divisional forest officer (DFO) of South 24-Parganas.
“The turtle got trapped in a fishing net in the Matla river. The fishermen were headed to the market to sell it. But our men intervened in time and saved the animal,” said Mondal.
The green sea turtle has been declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The website of the World Wildlife Fund says the green sea turtle is the only herbivore among the different species of sea turtles.
“Green turtles are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters…. Classified as endangered, green turtles are threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites,” it says.