Rare turtle lays 27 eggs in Bagerhat

Bagerhat, Mar 1 – ‘Batagur Baska’ a rare species rive turtle, laid 27 eggs at Wildlife Breeding Centre in Karamjal of the East Sundarbans on Sunday. Forest Department kept the eggs in an incubator for safe hatching, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of the breeding centre.
He said the eggs are expected to be hatched after 65-67 days.
Batagur Baska is one of the most critically endangered turtles in the world and can only be found in the wild in the mangroves of Bangladesh and India.
In 2017, two turtles laid 63 eggs of which 57 hatched. In 2018, two turtles laid 46 eggs, of which 26 hatched. In 2019, one turtle laid 32 eggs and all of them hatched while in 2020, two turtles laid 56 eggs and of them 52 hatched.
Ten turtles will be released in the Sundarbans in 2021 making the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said Azad. – UNB