Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle returns to Ganga after 30 years

In a significant boost for conservation efforts, the critically endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga) has been reintroduced into the Ganga River after a three-decade absence. On 26 April 2025, twenty of these freshwater turtles were released into the Haiderpur Wetland in Uttar Pradesh, as part of the Namami Gange Mission aimed at restoring the river's ecological health.

The Haiderpur Wetland, a UNESCO Ramsar site located near the Bijnor Ganga Barrage within the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, was selected for its strategic connectivity to the Ganga, especially during the monsoon season. The turtles, sourced from the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Center under the National Chambal Sanctuary's supervision, were equipped with sonic tracking devices to monitor their adaptation and movement patterns.

This reintroduction employs both "soft" and "hard" release strategies: one group was released upstream of the Haiderpur barrage, while the other was introduced downstream into the main channel of the Ganga. This dual approach aims to assess the most effective method for reestablishing the species in its natural habitat.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil highlighted the initiative as a pivotal step in restoring the Ganga's biodiversity, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision through the Namami Gange Mission for making such conservation efforts possible.

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C R Paatil (@CRPaatil) April 30, 2025

Studies conducted in 2020 and 2022 by the Turtle Survival Alliance India, supported by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, had previously found no viable populations of the Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle in the river, underscoring the urgency of this reintroduction.

Over the next two years, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, in collaboration with conservation partners, will closely monitor the turtles to evaluate the success of the reintroduction and its impact on the river's ecosystem.