The critically endangered Asian giant tortoise, the largest tortoise in mainland Asia, has been reintroduced into the Zeliang Community Reserve in Nagaland’s Peren district.
According to State officials, ten individuals of the species from the Nagaland Zoological Park in Chümoukedima district’s Rangapahar were released in the reserve through a community event held on August 2. The event was organised by the Nagaland Forest Department and the India Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP).
“These tortoises were bred and head-started from a conservation colony in our park, which has India’s largest captive population of the species,” said C. Zupeni Tsanglai, Director of the Nagaland Zoological Park, on Monday.
Once abundant in Nagaland, the Asian giant tortoise was nearly wiped out from the State more than a decade ago. A long-term agreement between the Forest Department and the ITCP paved the way for a conservation project in 2018, with tortoises primarily donated by individuals who had kept them as pets.
The ten tortoises released were born in 2019, descendants of a small founding population introduced during the early phase of the conservation programme.
“Asian giant tortoises, also known as the small elephants of the forests, help in seed dispersal and forest regeneration, apart from scavenging to keep the forest floor clean,” said ITCP director Shailendra Singh.
The release site was selected following a comprehensive habitat suitability assessment across several locations in Nagaland.
“Other than national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, protected areas such as community and conservation reserves in Nagaland have been performing quite well to preserve the forests and wildlife under the joint leadership of the communities and the Forest Department,” said Tokaho Kinimi, Wildlife Warden based in Dimapur.
The tortoises were released in a specially constructed soft-release enclosure, enabling them to develop site fidelity before dispersal into the wild.
“The released tortoises are marked and tagged with a VHF-based telemetry system to study their dispersal and survival in deep rainforests. Once the pilot release is successful, more individuals will be released in this landscape to recover the decimated wild populations,” said Sushmita Kar, ITCP’s project coordinator.
Before their release, the tortoises underwent six months of quarantine and thorough health assessments.
Peren’s Divisional Forest Officer Chisayi said local youth have been engaged as ‘tortoise guardians’ for protection and monitoring, while other community members are also participating.
Additional Deputy Commissioner D. Robin confirmed that the district administration will implement long-term protective measures around the site.
(With inputs from The Hindu)