37 Rescued Star-Back Tortoises From Pune, Thane Released In Chandrapur

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Pune/Chandrapur, February 20, 2021: Thirty-seven Star-Back Tortoises from Pune and Thane Forest Department that were rescued from illegal captivity and trade were released in Chandrapur near Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve(TATR).

RESQ Charitable Trust co-ordinated with the officials of the Pune and Thane Forest Department – Rahul Patil, DCF Pune and Gajendra Hire, DCF Thane, along with Mumbai based organisations RAWW and WWA.

Once the 37 tortoises were brought together, Neha Panchamia, Founder RESQ Charitable Trust along with Tuhin Satarkar, Head Rescue Operations, RESQ Charitable Trust made the 16-hour long journey by road from Pune to Chandrapur where the tortoises were successfully released.

Their distribution is present near Chandrapur and was properly recorded back in 2018, which is why this particular location was chosen for their release. The repatriation efforts were facilitated by Field Director Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar at Chandrapur.

“It was really amazing to watch them all scramble away FAST once they were released. Who said tortoises are slow?!”, said Neha Panchamia as she witnessed the tortoises being released in their natural habitat.