Mumbai: Big sea turtle poached from Bandra Bandstand

MUMBAI: Animal activists have complained to the state forest department about a brazen poaching of a protected turtle species from Bandra Bandstand, opposite Shahrukh Khan's bungalow, on Tuesday morning. Forest officials from the Mangrove Cell have visited the spot to investigate the matter and try to trace the sea turtle.
Wildlife warden, Sunish Subramanian, told TOI, "We were informed by some locals in Bandra that two unknown persons were carrying away a large sea turtle in a net at Bandstand, opposite the actor Shahrukh Khan's bungalow. Even though one citizen tried to stop them and requested the duo to release the turtle back in the water, they did not listen and walked into a slum area beyond the Taj Land's end. I have complained to the authorities to seriously inquire into this wildlife crime of turtle poaching.''

Subramanian added that two photographs of the men taking away the caught turtle have also been sent to the forest and also local police officials.

Activist Pawan Sharma of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), stated, "From the photographs clicked at the spot, it appears to be a protected Hawksbill sea turtle. It comes under Schedule I, part-II, of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hence, it is illegal to catch of kill them for any reason.''

Activists have urged citizens to call them or the forest Helpline -- 1926 -- if they have any information about the identities of the turtle poachers at Bandra.

The additional principal chief conservator of forests (Mangrove Cell), N Vasudevan, stated, "As soon as we got the information about the turtle poaching, I have sent my forest personnel to the area to try and locate the marine species. The two culprits can be booked under the Wildlife Protection Law, for which they can get a maximum punishment of seven years jail term."

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies.

The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like limbs, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. Hawksbill shells were the primary source of tortoiseshell material used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill sea turtles and products derived from them.