Turtles from a roadside artificial tank near the Station Square were rescued by forest personnel under the Baleswar Wildlife Division on Saturday evening and later released in the river Budhabalanga.
The turtles, under the category of terrapin known as ‘Indian Soft Shell Turtle’ were reared by a teal stall owner in a market complex near the Station Square for about 12 years.
A sump, which had been built for storing water during construction of the market complex building, was lying abandoned. The tea stall owner, after cleaning the sump, began grooming the turtles.
The terrapins were not only attracting visitors to his tea stall but also to the market complex.
The Forest Department took the action of vacating the turtles from the sump after being informed by Khurda Honorary Wildlife Warden Suvendu Mallick and his friends when they were in Baleswar.
Baleswar Forest Range Officer Prafulla Mallick and Suvendu Mallick and his associates Amit Mohanty, Subrat Das and Soumendra Ray were among those present during the turtle rescue operation.
Baleswar DFO Kedar Swain said, “The turtles belong to Schedule One under the Wildlife Protection Act. They can’t be held in captivity for display. It is a punishable offence under the Act. We left the tea stall owner after giving him a warning. People should be aware of the fact that wildlife under no circumstances without permission of the Central Zoo Authority can be confined.” The turtles had to be let into the river, their natural habitat, he added.