All posts tagged: turtle

Critically endangered Indian roofed turtle found in Rajouri

Critically endangered Indian roofed turtle found in Rajouri

Published by Parlour News

The wildlife department of Jammu and Kashmir, for the first time ever, recorded the presence of critically endangered Indian roofed turtle, scientifically called Pangshura tecta, in Munawar Tawi area of Rajouri district. The Indian roofed turtle. (HT Photo) “The Indian roofed turtle has been reported for the first time from this region. A family contacted us and informed us about the baby turtle. They had found it from the Naban area of Rajouri town,” said Nadeem Iqbal Mirza, wildlife warden Rajouri-Poonch range. Mirza informed that the turtle was again released into its natural habitat. “Now, we will conduct awareness programmes along the fringes of Munawar Tawi to educate the people about this particular species, which is endangered and falls under schedule 1 of the Wildlife protection act 1971. The official informed that the wildlife department will now set up camera traps on either banks of the Munawar Tawi, commonly known by the name Sukhto River, to record other family members of the baby Indian roofed turtle. The Indian roofed turtle is primarily omnivorous, though its …

We want to put out stories from India that are real: Zoya Akhtar on ‘Turtle Walker’

We want to put out stories from India that are real: Zoya Akhtar on ‘Turtle Walker’

Published by Parlour News

New Delhi, Filmmaker duo Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti believe in backing stories that they would want to watch and present something new to both global viewers and Indians, whether it is “Angry Young Men”, “In Transit” or “Turtle Walker”. We want to put out stories from India that are real: Zoya Akhtar on ‘Turtle Walker’ Directed by Taira Malaney, “Turtle Walker” revolves around Satish Bhaskar, an Indian biologist who devoted his life to preserving sea turtles. “Angry Young Men” documented the achievements of Akhtar’s father Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan as screenwriters, while “In Transit” has been shortlisted for the GLAAD awards. Slated to take place in March, the awards recognise stories focused on LGBTQ lives. “These are stories that move us and we want to put them out. We want to put out stories from India that are real and rooted – stories even people in India don’t know. It’s for the globe, but it’s also for the country, so people can see how diverse we are and what incredible lives are being …

First Olive Ridley turtle eggs spotted on Chennai’s Marina Beach

First Olive Ridley turtle eggs spotted on Chennai’s Marina Beach

Published by Webster

In a heartening development for wildlife conservation in Chennai, the nesting season for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles has kicked off on Marina Beach, with the first batch of turtle eggs being spotted along the shoreline. The update was shared on social media by Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, climate change and forests in Tamil Nadu Government. Describing it as an “extraordinary moment” that showcases the miracle of nature, Sahu highlighted the visible tracks left on the sand by the mother turtles as they came ashore to lay their eggs. Chennai let’s welcome the first set of turtle eggs on the Marina Beach as the nesting season begins. An extraordinary moment reminding us about the miracle of nature. Look at the tracks on the sand marking the nesting by turtles. Lets keep beaches clean and undisturbed Did you… pic.twitter.com/KDHFnOt5nU — Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) January 5, 2026 `Keep beaches clean for Olive Ridley turtles` Appealing for public support, she urged citizens to maintain cleanliness on the beaches and avoid disturbing the area to …

Satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle `Dhaval Lakshmi` reaches Gujarat

Satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle `Dhaval Lakshmi` reaches Gujarat

Published by Webster

The satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle ‘Dhaval Lakshmi’ that was released into the water at Dahanu coast in Maharashtra`s Palghar has now reached Gujarat waters, officials said on Saturday. According to the Mangrove Cell, “As on 22-12-2025, the satellite-tagged turtle ‘Dhaval Lakshmi’ continues to move further west from the Maharashtra coastline. Presently, it is more than 200 km west of Dahanu and about 83 km south of Somnath.” The Dahanu Forest Division and the Mangrove Cell of the Maharashtra Forest Department, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, have successfully satellite-tagged an Olive Ridley female sea turtle at Dahanu in Palghar district. Found entangled in a fishing net The Olive Ridley turtle was found entangled in a fishing net on August 10, 2025. Fishermen carefully freed the turtle and, noticing injuries on both front flippers, handed it over to officials at the Turtle Treatment Centre in Dahanu under the Dahanu Forest Division. The turtle underwent treatment at the centre and, after making a full recovery, the authorities decided to fit it with a satellite transmitter. …

Zoya Akhtar backed ‘Turtle Walker’ to open ALTEFF festival

Zoya Akhtar backed ‘Turtle Walker’ to open ALTEFF festival

Published by Webster

Mumbai, Zoya Akhtar backed documentary “Turtle Walker” is set to open the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival , taking place from December 4 to 14. Zoya Akhtar backed ‘Turtle Walker’ to open ALTEFF festival The festival celebrates films and filmmakers telling stories around climate awareness and action. Since its world premiere at DOC NYC in 2024, “Turtle Walker” has travelled across the globe. The film, produced by Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Taira Malaney and the Oscar-winning HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, received the Conservation Award at the International Ocean Film Festival. It was also honoured at the Jackson Wild Media Awards, winning both the ‘Conservation’ and ‘Grand Teton’ Awards – the highest accolades in nature and environmental filmmaking. Malaney’s documentary tells the story of an Indian pioneer in the field of sea turtle conservation, Satish Bhaskar, who dedicated his life to the protection of turtles. In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India’s spectacular coastlines, living alongside rare sea turtles to unravel the mysteries that surround them – and set …

After 3 Decades, Endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle Back To Ganga River

After 3 Decades, Endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle Back To Ganga River

Published by Webster

New Delhi: The critically endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle has been reintroduced in the Ganga river as part of the government’s flagship programme of cleaning the river and enhancing its biodiversity. In a post on X on Wednesday, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil said, 20 such turtles were released in Uttar Pradesh’s Haiderpur Wetland On April 26. माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi सर के नेतृत्व में चल रहे नमामि गंगे मिशन के तहत गंगा नदी में तीन दशक बाद रेड-क्राउन रूफ्ड टर्टल प्रजाति की वापसी संभव हो पाई है। यह वही प्रजाति है, जिसे उत्तर भारत की सबसे संकटग्रस्त प्रजातियों में गिना जाता था। 26 अप्रैल, 2025 को हैदरपुर… pic.twitter.com/HUc7lkuwr3 — C R Paatil (@CRPaatil) April 30, 2025 It is a UNESCO Ramsar site near the Bijnor Ganga Barrage within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. This human-made wetland was formed in 1984 with the Madhya Ganga Barrage construction on the river’s floodplain. Believed to be on the brink of extinction in north India, the Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle has been reintroduced into the river through a carefully planned …

Andaman and Nicobar Islands hosts over 1,000 leatherback turtle nests every year: Report

Andaman and Nicobar Islands hosts over 1,000 leatherback turtle nests every year: Report

Published by Webster

The leather turtles once nested across the shores of mainland Indian, but lately their habitats have shifted to only the beaches of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands. New Delhi: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to a globally important nesting population of vulnerable leatherback turtles, supporting over 1,000 nests each year, according to a report by the Dakshin Foundation. Leatherback turtles were once known to nest across the mainland India shores in the early 20th century, their habitat is now limited exclusively to these islands in the Indian Ocean. The report — Monitoring Sea Turtles in India 2008–2024 highlights that these islands, alongside one site in Sri Lanka, represent the only significant nesting grounds for leatherbacks between Southeast Asia and South Africa. “The population appears to be stable, with some inter-annual variation. It remains the most significant population of nesting leatherbacks in the northern Indian Ocean,” the report notes. While the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists leatherbacks as “vulnerable” on a global scale, many regional populations are “critically endangered”. Nesting beaches …

Alarmed TSA agents stop man for hiding something in his pants at Newark Airport – he pulls out a live turtle

Alarmed TSA agents stop man for hiding something in his pants at Newark Airport – he pulls out a live turtle

Published by Parlour News

A Pennsylvania man reportedly missed his flight after being caught with a live turtle hidden in his pants. The discovery was made while he was passing through security at a New Jersey airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration, New York Post reported. TSA stops man hiding live turtle in his pants at Newark Airport (@TSA_Northeast/X) TSA agents conducted a pat-down after the traveller set off alarms while walking through the body scanner at Newark International Airport last week. The agents then realised something was hidden near the man’s groin. When officers asked the man what he was concealing, he reached into his pants and pulled out a live turtle wrapped in a towel. The man revealed on the spot that the 5-inch critter was a red-eared slider turtle, known to be popular pets. The turtle was confiscated and the man was escorted out of the airport by Port Authority police. It is unclear if the man, who is from East Stroudsburg, is going to face charges or penalties for carrying the turtle. “We have …

College students express their ideas to save sea turtle at sand art competition in Nagapattinam

College students express their ideas to save sea turtle at sand art competition in Nagapattinam

Published by Parlour News

District Collector P. Akash inaugurated the sand art competition held at the Old Beach in Nagapattinam on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement A district-level sand art competition for college students, organised by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, was held at Nagapattinam Old Beach to promote awareness about the conservation and ecological importance of sea turtles. District Collector P. Akash inaugurated the event and observed the creative sand sculptures designed by students. The event drew participation from over 60 students representing 15 colleges, with additional contributions from schoolchildren who performed cultural programmes centred on sea turtle conservation. The initiative highlighted the crucial role sea turtles play in maintaining marine ecosystems. Nagapattinam’s coastline is home to several species of sea turtles, including Olive Ridley, Green Turtle, Hawksbill, Leatherback, and Loggerhead turtles. Sea turtles help maintain ecological balance by feeding on jellyfish thereby protecting fish population and grazing on coral reef algae, aiding marine vegetation regeneration. However, endangered species such as the Olive Ridley face steep survival odds, with only one in a thousand hatchlings reaching adulthood. …

Forest officials ask fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices, seek cooperation of Fisheries Dept. to prevent Olive Ridley deaths

Forest officials ask fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices, seek cooperation of Fisheries Dept. to prevent Olive Ridley deaths

Published by Parlour News

An Olive Ridley sea turtle after it was washed ashore, at Marina Beach in Chennai. | Photo Credit: PTI Officials of the Forest Department in Vijayawada have appealed to the fishermen across the State to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to save Olive Ridley turtles, which are endangered species and are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. As per the Marine Fishing Regulation Acts (MFRAs) in the maritime States of India, the usage of TED has been insisted for fishing nets of mechanised trawler vessels to allow sea turtles trapped in nets to escape. The Forest Department officials wrote a letter to the Fisheries Department to take measures to fix TEDs for all mechanised boats in the State to protect the turtles. Release of effluents into the rivers and sea, and treated water from industries was also killing sea turtles, said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Addl. PCCF-Wildlife) Shanti Priya Pandey. “More than 1.50 lakh fishermen and about 20,000 mechanised and motorised boats are there in the State. But, fishermen …