Research on golden tortoise extinction

In order to save the endangered golden tortoise from extinction, the centre for advanced Research in Natural Resource and management is conducting a research by installing Radio transmitter in its body.

The wild life research organization in association with the Ministry of Environment launched the research pro-gramme under Bangladesh tortoise Project at Lawachhara National Park in Moulvibazar district to gather information about golden tortoises.

The International Union for conservation of Nature marked the golden tortoise as the extremely endangered animal of the world.

In Bangladesh, the main habitat of the golden tortoises is the evergreen forests of Moulvibazar, Hobigonj, Sylhet and Chittagong Hill Tract regions.

Sources said Zoologists in the country did not have any data on the life and habitant of these rare species.

After the installation of the transmitter in the body of three gold tortoises, the tortoises were released into the Lawachhara National Park.

Of the three, one was released in the jungle on June 13, and the other two were released on June 14.

The female tortoise was collected form Lawachhara forest and another female and a male were caught from Lama Forest of Bandarban district.

According to the project sources, the three were moving well in the jungle.

The transmitter installation and tortoise release programme was attended by Chief Researcher of the Bangladesh Python Project Shahrier Cisure Rahman, Range officer of the Lawachhara National Park Martuz Ali, Amphibious Animal Researcher Animesh Ghose, Researcher Farzana Taskin, Wild life Researcher of USA Sfot Tregsar and Researcher Erin Tregsar.

Chief Researcher of the Bangladesh Python project Shahrier Cisure Rahman told the journalists the golden tortoise was considered to be the most endangered animal in the world.

The tendency of people to eat the tortoises as a delicacy was the main reason why these reptiles are on the brink of extinction, added the researcher.

Locals said earlier they used to come across seven to eight golden tortoises daily in Lawachhara forest area, but now a days, the animal was rarely seen, maybe only once or twice a year.

A radio transmitter has recently been set up on the hard shell of the nearly extinct golden tortoise for research. The rare species was later released into the Lawachhara  National Park in Moulvibazar to observe its life...

Being amphibious reptiles, people living in the hills could easily catch and eat them, while the ones they don’t eat, they sell, they added.An NGO, Orion society, gave financial assistance to the research programme.

*Dhaka Tribune,Sunday,July 13,2014