Important Facts For Prelims
Temples and Turtle Conservation
- 17 Jun 2019
- 1 min read
Conservation program for turtles is being implemented in Assam by involving the network of temples across the State.
- Species that have disappeared in the wild are bred in Assam’s shrines before being released into the wild.
- A certain degree of faith attached to turtles along with the involvement of the local community has helped them survive in temple ponds.
- However, the temple ponds have more turtles than they can sustain and lack egg laying space because of so-called beautification of these ponds with concrete boundary.
- Besides, temple turtles are fed non-natural food such as bread and wheat balls, which alters their biology.
- India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam.
- Major threats are consumption of turtle meat and eggs, silt mining, encroachment of wetlands and changes in flooding patterns.
- Few important turtle species are:
