locals of Darabachha village under Marshaghai block of Kendrapada forest range visited the house of fellow villager Biswambar Malla to take a glimpse of a turtle whose carapace resembles with the eyes of lord Jagannath.
According to sources, Malla unearthed the turtle on Thursday that was moving at the backyard of his house. He rescued it and brought to his house. When contacted, the forest personnel of Kendrapada forest range stated that they received information in this regard and would visit the village to take possession of the turtle.
According to the forest officials, it is a rare fresh water Indian soft shell turtle. The turtle is one of the most critically endangered species of fresh water turtles in the country. This species has legendary status among the people of Odisha. It is classified a vulnerable on the IUCN Red list (1) and listed on Appendix I of CITES. It is abundantly found in Brahmani, Baitarani, Kharasrota and Mahanadi rivers’ upper catchments.