Scores of Indian turtles die in suspected poisoning near Mumbai

DOZENS of turtles might have perished at a lake near the Indian city of Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra due to deliberate poisoning, the country’s wildlife experts told AFP on Sunday (23).

Conservation workers were alerted about the incident after a local politician asked them to look into a foul smell that prevailed around a waterbody in Kalyan, located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the Maximum City.

Suhas Pawar of the Wild Animal and Reptile Rescue conservation group said 57 flapshell turtles had been killed while only six were rescued.

He told AFP that the local people likely killed the reptiles to prevent them from eating fish they were illegally breeding in the lake.

“Everything is being investigated now, a post-mortem and scientific analysis will reveal the exact cause of these deaths,” he was quoted as saying.

The wildlife activist also said that Covid-19 restrictions over the past two years had likely caused a rise in the local turtle population.

“Restrictions on human activity likely increased the fish stocks at the lake and these turtles were now growing in numbers by feeding on them, which angered some locals,” Pawar said.

Indian flapshell turtles are not particularly rare but are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act.