The Lucknow forest authorities recently released more than 600 turtles into the Gomti River. These turtles had been rescued from various raids, as they are often smuggled from other cities and sold illegally.

Kept in captivity, they face numerous complications and diseases. Therefore, specialists from the forest department conducted thorough examinations before releasing them into their native ecosystem. The release took place in the forest area of Malihabad near Bakshi Ka Talab on Tuesday.

During two separate raids conducted this week, authorities rescued a total of 669 turtles. The first raid resulted in the rescue of 309 turtles from a smuggler apprehended at a hotel in Charbagh. Subsequently, 360 turtles were seized during the second raid near Shaheed Path.

The rescued turtles belong to rare species, namely the Indian Tent turtle and Indian roofed turtle. Some of these turtles are classified as vulnerable or threatened species according to the IUCN Red List and are protected under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act. Furthermore, all the rescued turtles were males, a trait sought after by many individuals for their smaller size, making them suitable as pets.