Kalyan: Forestry Department and Wildlife Activists on Sunday restore 50 many dead turtles from Lake Gauripada in Kalyan, taking the total amount until Saturday.
However, officials suspected the count might be higher.
The forest team also carries GHELP KDMC officials and rescue reptile wild animals NGOs (Warring), and arranges a boat to save a living turtle and has shelter on the edge of the body of water.
They managed to save five turtles on Sunday, taking the total reptile that was saved to 11.
However, the two turtles were saved and died.
R n Channe, Range Forest Officer of Kalyan Forest Division, said, “The body of two turtles has been sent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park for autopsy, and the exact cause of death will soon be disclosed.” Officials from the KDMC and Maharashtra pollution control council also collected lake water samples and had sent it to the laboratory to test to find out whether the river was polluted or contaminated with any poison.
Forest officials suspect that the lake might have been polluted because drainage water which was directly released on the lake from the slums side by side.
Wildlife experts suspect the turtle may have died because of several diseases, or someone might have diverse poisons in the water body to kill them.
Kample Yogesh, President Waar, said, “This is an Indian softshell turtle, while other turtles from foreign breeds (such as red ear sliders) are safe.
It looks like this turtle might have died because of poison.” He added, “Forestry team has begun investigated and, hopefully, soon the reason behind death will appear.”