Maha: Critically endangered turtle rescued from lake in Thane

A critically endangered turtle was rescued from a lake in Maharashtras Thane city in coordination with the forest department, an official said on Tuesday. A team from the NGO Wild Welfare Association WWA rescued a Leiths softshell turtle from Brahmala lake in the city on Monday evening, president of the association Aditya Patil said.

A critically endangered turtle was rescued from a lake in Maharashtra's Thane city in coordination with the forest department, an official said on Tuesday. A team from the NGO Wild Welfare Association (WWA) rescued a Leith's softshell turtle from Brahmala lake in the city on Monday evening, president of the association Aditya Patil said. The turtle was found floating on the surface and was unable to swim down, he said.

The turtle was taken to a clinic for preliminary examination in co-ordination with the Thane forest department, and it was found to be suffering from a lung infection, he said.

The turtle weighed 20 kg and the carapace was 2.7 ft long. It will be kept under medication till lung infection clears out, Patil said.

Leith's softshell turtle or Nilssonia leithii is a freshwater turtle, which is listed as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is also protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 in India.