Two species of critically endangered tortoises were reintroduced to Bangladesh’s forests last December.
Six captive-bred elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) were first released in Lawachara National Park in northeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 18. This was followed by the release of 10 Asian giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei) in Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeastern Bangladesh on Dec. 24. The reintroductions were a joint effort of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), the Creative Conservation Alliance (CCA) and the Bangladesh Forest Department, TSA said in a statement.
“The recent release of a group of captive-bred tortoises last month is a significant milestone, but it represents the culmination of over a decade of dedicated effort,” Shahriar Caesar Rahman, CEO of CCA, told Mongabay by email.
This is the first time captive-bred elongated tortoises have been reintroduced to their native habitats in Bangladesh. It follows the success of a 2021 pilot project when 10 Asian giant tortoises were released in Matamuhuri, with “zero poaching incidents and a 70% survival rate,” TSA said.
Rahman said Asian giant tortoises are extinct across most of their historic range in Bangladesh and “only a remnant population of few wild individuals are found in one locality in Bangladesh-Myanmar border area.” The species has faced severe decline, mainly from poaching, subsistence hunting by local communities, and habitat loss.
The elongated tortoise can be found more widely, but much of its population in Bangladesh has also been wiped out due to subsistence hunting and habitat loss.
The captive-raised tortoises, aged between 2 and 5 years, were bred and reared at the Turtle Conservation Centre in Bangladesh’s Bhawal National Park. They’re now being kept in bamboo soft-release enclosures, where they’ll remain for six months before being fully released in the forests.
TSA said the natural enclosure will increase the chances of the tortoises’ long-term survival.
“Each tortoise was fitted with a radio transmitter and will be monitored by our trained tribal para-biologists several times a week to track its progress,” Rahman said. The transmitters have a limited battery life, however, so the team will also use its conservation dog unit for tracking.
“Clive, a four-year-old black Labrador, will be deployed periodically to conduct post-release monitoring of the tortoises, providing a valuable long-term monitoring solution,” Rahman said. Clive has been trained to detect pangolins and tortoises to contribute to field data collection.
The conservation groups say they’ve partnered and worked with various local community groups, including tea estate workers, and the Mro tribal communities, “who play a crucial role in habitat protection and tortoise monitoring.”
Partnering with the communities also indirectly reduces hunting incidents of other threatened species, Rahman said. That’s because on top of having agreements with villagers to not eat tortoises, they were also able to include other globally threatened species, such as the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), in the hunting moratorium.
Banner image of one of the released elongated tortoises, courtesy of CCA.
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