Northern river terrapins

Endangered freshwater turtles

Northern river terrapins (Batagur baska) are widely regarded as one of the most endangered freshwater turtles in the world. They were once widespread in the coastal mangrove swamps, rivers, and estuaries of Odisha and West Bengal states, India. But their numbers plummeted in recent decades due to over collection of adults and eggs for food, as well as sand mining and pollution. By 2012 they were considered functionally extinct in the wild. However, in 2008 a small number of terrapins were collected and brought into captivity as part of a breeding programme in the hope that a wild population could one day be restored.  

PTES has been supporting Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) India for several years to successfully reintroduce an ecologically viable population of terrapins back into the wild. TSA India has established a critical conservation breeding programme, produced a Batagur Baska Vision Plan 2030 setting out a multi-pronged approach for the long-term survival of the species and, more recently, started releasing captive bred animals back into the wild. So far, 20 captive bred terrapins have been released; these animals have been closely followed to see where they move to and better understand their behaviour in the wild.  

Expanding the captive breeding programme

Now the team is preparing for the next phase in restoring these unique turtles back to their home. They are expanding the captive breeding programme by building an additional breeding centre which will have larger enclosures for nesting females to lay their eggs. The eggs are collected, incubated and the hatchlings are cared for by dedicated keepers. The team is also preparing the next group of 10 captive-bred terrapins who will be released into the wild in spring 2026. Once again, these animals will be tagged and followed to understand survival rates, as well as reveal important ecological information. 

The previous releases have also highlighted the importance of involving local fishing communities in the project. This year the team have a new floating education station, which they’re using to travel between villages surrounding the release site, raising awareness about the terrapins, their conservation and how fishermen and local communities can get involved with the project. Local schools and villages are being invited to a World Turtle Day festival in May to celebrate these incredible animals and how the release programme is restoring them back to the wild.   

We want to give northern river terrapins a brighter future. Can you help with a donation to this project today?