MUMBAI: The rare and endangered
Hawksbill turtle which was brazenly poached from
Bandra Bandstand on Tuesday morning, has fortunately been traced and rescued from a nearby slum and later released in the sea.
Relieved animal activists informed that the turtle rescue was made possible thanks to the efforts of a local hotelier, Ashish Pingle, who had immediately informed the local police on getting to know that the poached hawksbill turtle was kept inside the slum.
"We all have to thank the animal lover, Ashish Pingle, who did not waste any time to alert the police and later rushed inside the slum to retrieve the turtle which was kept in a drum. Following this, we could confirm that it was the protected hawksbill species, which is in the category schedule I, part II, of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972," said activist Pawan Sharma of
Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW).
Talking to TOI, the 45-year-old Bandra based hotelier, Ashish Pingle, recalled, "I was jogging along the bandstand when a noticed a motely crowd clicking photos of some marine creature. I was shocked to see that one youngster was trying to sit and even stand on top of the turtle in order to take selfie shots with his mobile phone. That made me very angry and I shouted at the youngster and told him to free it. But, they did not heed and went inside the slum towards Taj Lands End hotel."
Pingle then called up the Bandra police station for further assistance. "The police sent a constable to the spot, and we then went inside the slum to trace out the turtle. On seeing the two men who were earlier seen carrying the big turtle away in a netting, we explained to them that it is a crime to take away protected species like turtles," said Pingle.
There was some resistance from the slum dwellers initially in handing over the hawksbill, but on being told that they could face a maximum seven-year jail term under the Indian wildlife laws, they then gave it back.
Wildlife warden, Sunish Subramanian, commented, "We are all relieved that the turtle has been found and released back in the sea. While the culprits have begged for forgiveness as they did not know that it was a crime to take out turtles in this fashion, I feel that they should be booked as a deterrent. We also thank Pingle and the Mumbai police for helping to save the life of a rare and endangered sea turtle."
Subramanian added that on Tuesday, he had received photographs from some local residents about two men taking away the huge turtle, opposite actor Shahrukh Khan's bungalow at Bandra Bandstand. He had then complained to the state forest department and also the Mumbai police.
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.
