Article co-author credit: Akshay V Anand
Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
India is a land of diversity. No! This time I am not talking about the religion and ethnic diversity but the beautiful and fascinating diversity of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India which globally ranks 6th in the world. With 24 species of freshwater turtles and five species of tortoises, we as a country are fortunate to be sharing our land and water with these enigmatic shellies. But, things are not all sunshine and roses for these shelled creatures with more than 50% of these species being threatened with extinction! If the action towards their conservation is not taken when there is still time, we may lose these beautiful bio-indicators from the freshwater ecosystems of India.
The Giants of the river
One of these species on the edge of its existence is the extraordinary Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) which we have been working to protect with the support from the Zoological Society of London and National Geographic Society. The EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) program has identified the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle as one of its priority species by assigning a score based on its uniqueness in the evolutionary tree and its conservation status. We have been working to understand and gather baseline information on the species for over a year in the south Indian state of Kerala. Kerala, or “Gods own country” as it is lovingly called by the people of India, is a state rich in its biodiversity and has proven to be the most fitting location for us to focus our conservation efforts of this highly threatened turtle.
Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle is one of the world’s largest freshwater turtles which can grow to a remarkably large size of over one meter in length and can weigh over 100 kg! With a frog like face and a body that resembles something that should be locked up at the Area 51 labs, Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle goes against the norm of what is conventionally considered beautiful. This rather aggressive giant is an ambush predator and spends a large majority of its life submerged in the depths or buried in the riverbed, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim by. Out of the water they are a very shy species and epitomize the saying “if you can’t run then hide”. The slightest sound sends them darting back to their murky underwater abode where they can lay submerged for over an hour! All this only builds on the mystery that is the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle.
Despite their large distribution throughout the South and South-east of Asia, it is extremely threatened all over its range and is even considered locally extinct in some places. This species is known from a variety of freshwater and brackish water habitats including lakes, rivers, and estuaries. It is baffling to think that such an unusual species has not received the attention of national and international conservation scientists and the media!
Threats to survival
The major threat to the species in India is the destruction and alteration of its freshwater and coastal habitat due to various anthropogenic threats. The encroachments for illegal sand mining on the riverbanks destroys the indispensable nesting grounds which give life to successive generations and secure the future of the species. The rivers across India are extensively used for irrigation purposes to aid the ever expanding industry of agriculture which pose a major threat to the habitat of the turtle. Unscientifically constructed dams alter the course of rivers that can lead to the weathering of the riverbed, exposing bedrock and destroying the hunting grounds of these underwater ambush predators. Further this harmless turtle often finds itself in the hooks and nets of fishermen and often end up being sold for their meat (a delicacy to some communities).
Although the turtle
is protected under Schedule I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, it doesn’t
necessarily safeguard this unique species outside of the protected area
network. Most locals are not even aware of the species name, let alone the IUCN
conservation status of the turtle. To effectively protect this species, it is
of paramount importance to target and involve the key local communities who are
most likely to interact and catch sight of the turtle. Fortunately for us, the
local people of Kerala have opened their arms (and minds) towards our approach
for turtle conservation and provided us with invaluable information that has
led us to identify critical areas for its conservation. That said, scientists
still do not know much about the habits and ecology of this very secretive
species, no population studies have been conducted which makes the assessment
of the conservation status of the species dubious.
Freshwater turtles have many important roles to play in an aquatic ecosystem
from acting as biological monitors to cleaning the river system by scavenging
on dead and decaying matter, their presence in rivers indicate a healthy
ecosystem. If these turtles are lost, it will directly impact the aquatic
systems and hundreds and thousands of people who directly and indirectly depend
on it.
Search for the Elusive Giant Turtle
In the early days of the project my main focus was to build an alert network among the local communities that live in close proximity or depend on the river under study. With the last published sighting of this species being nine years prior to the start of this project, our hopes were not too high to sight this beauty anytime soon. We theorized that, by building this alert network we would gain useful insights into the ecology and presence of the turtle in the study river and maybe, just maybe, get the chance to see the species in all its splendor. Boy were we right! Within just a week of establishing contacts in the study area I got a call that a “large turtle” was spotted in an isolated deep pool of the river, a turtle referred to as “Paala Poovan” by the informant. Accompanied by a team from Kerala Forest Research Institute, we headed out to this site, hoping, and praying that this Paala Poovan was the elusive Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle. Sitting on the banks of the river every ripple was a cause of excitement. Hours passed by and we were beginning to lose hope, when the surface of the water broke and a snorkel like snout emerged, followed by what I can only describe as a large spaceship like body. Hands trembling with adrenaline I shot off the first few clicks of my camera to no avail as this awe-inspiring creature had already submerged itself. It took me the entire day to finally manage a decent enough picture of the species and lo and behold this Paala Poovan was indeed the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle!
To date with the help of our alert network and the support of ZSL EDGE program and Clear Reef Social fund we have trained over 40 people in the safe handling and release of the Giant turtle. Furthermore, over 400 people have been educated on the presence and importance of freshwater turtles and the role they play in maintaining a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Finally, through the course of this project we have responded to three accidental by-catches of the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle and safely released these individuals back into the river. Every person educated, every fisherman trained and every turtle rescued is a small step towards the conservation of this exquisite species.
Every day is an enigma when searching for the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle. With a heart full of hope and a mind full of patience our search continues to understand and save the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle.
