Indore: Students showcase good gesture, give turtles to local zoo

Indore: Two students from Saint Marino School on Wednesday visited Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalay, the city zoo, and handed over two endangered species of turtles to authorities. The duo took the initiative after learning about the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in wildlife ecology course run by city zoo for schools. A lecture on reptiles that are protected under the Act was organised on Saturday in the school, which is located in the city.

Talking about students, animal activist Prachi Dubey said, “Most people do not know about the consequences if they are caught keeping wild animals as pets.” Zoo curator Nihar Parulekar said the two students had Indian soft shell parapin turtles with them but no one in their family knew that it was a protected reptile under the Act.

“We asked everyone if their pets come in schedule species of the Act. We promised them safety and urged them to open up,” Parulekar said. When the two students told him about the turtles, Parulekar asked them to hand them over to zoo. Indian soft shell turtles (Nilssonia gangetica) or Ganges soft shell turtle is a species found in South Asia in rivers as the Ganges, Indus and Mahanadi. These turtles require fresh water ponds, soil to lay eggs and a proper diet.

“The turtles feed on fishes, amphibians, carrion and aquatic plants that people cannot provide at home regularly,” Parulekar said. Improper diet and small aquariums reduce chances of their survival. Most species of turtles and exotic birds die because people continue to keep them in small enclosures in their house with improper diet.

Source : http://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/indore-students-showcase-good-gesture-give-turtles-to-local-zoo/1255832