340 Indian Star Tortoises have been released back into the wild in the Central Chanda Forest Division on April 5. This marked one of the largest organised releases of this species in the state, following an intensive rehabilitation process that began in late 2024. With this release, the reserve forests of Chandrapur has emerged as a home for Indian Star Tortoises rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.  A final group continues to undergo rehabilitation and is expected to be considered for release in due course, said a senior official from the Pune Forest Department.  (HT) In October 2024, the turtle rehabilitation program (TRP), a collaborative initiative, was launched, which was led by the Maharashtra Forest Department in partnership with RESQ Charitable Trust (RESQ CT) and facilitated by the Pune Wildlife Division. The TRP was established to address the growing issue of turtles and tortoises being rescued from illegal wildlife trade and captivity and the initiative to have a statewide approach to rehabilitate them systematically.  Over the past few months, 441 Indian Star Tortoises were admitted …