New turtle species found in Kailali

By Avinash Chaudhary,Dhangadhi, Aug. 27: Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans), a species listed as vulnerable, has been recorded in Nepal for the first time.

The tortoise was spotted in the forest along the Karnali riverbank in Janaki Rural Municipality-6 in Kailali district. 

Local children grazing goats and sheep discovered the unusual tortoise on August 19 in the Kailasheshwar and Jagatpur community forests. It was released back into its natural habitat the same day.

Conservationist Bijay Raj Shrestha, along with locals Ram Prasad Chaudhary and Khushiram Chaudhary from Jagatpur, happened to be in the forest when the children found it. They rescued the tortoise, photographed it and released it safely.

“If we had not reached there, the children might have killed and eaten it. As soon as we realised it was a rare species, we rescued it and set it free in the forest,” he said.

The Indian Star Tortoise is commonly found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but had never been recorded in Nepal. Turtle and reptile expert Prof. Karan Bahadur Shah confirmed it as a new species for the country.

 “I was informed about the finding. This is indeed the first official record of the Indian Star Tortoise in Nepal,” he said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Indian Star Tortoise as Vulnerable since 2016. Although its global population is estimated at up to 10,000 individuals, numbers are declining due to habitat loss and poaching for the illegal pet trade.

Conservationist Shrestha added that locals have reported sightings of similar tortoises in the past along the Karnali River forests, suggesting the species may have been present for some time.