ITANAGAR, 3 Jul: A softshell turtle was rescued from a fisherman and handed over to the authorities of the Itanagar Biological Park Itanagar by one Karbia Rebe of Rebe village in East Kameng district Tuesday.
He rescued the turtle from the clutches of the fisherman from Yupia in Papum Pare district, endangering his own life, Zoo Curator Raya Flago said.
The authorities of Biological Park have lauded Rebe, who is a social activist and blogger as well, for saving an endangered animal.
“There are about 30 different species of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae, divided into 14 genera. Softshell turtles are named for their leathery, flexible shells, which lack the hardened scutes of most other turtle species,” Flago said.
“The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is the largest freshwater turtle species in the world and can weigh up to 220 pounds, but it is also critically endangered, with only four known individuals left. They are carnivorous and ambush predators that feed on fish, insects, snails, and even small birds and mammals,” he said.