A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020. The rehab centre, spread over half a hectare, will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time. This centre will play a significant role in treating these animals and their proper upkeep before being returned to their natural habitat. The size of turtles found in eastern Bihar is good as well. A turtle weighing up to 15 kilograms can be found.
Turtles are being frequently targeted for meat and are also being poached for the pet trade. Such turtles are in high demand in south east Asia, China and Japan. According to a recent study conducted by Traffic India, around 11,000 turtles are being smuggled in India every year. In the past 10 years, as many as 110,000 turtles have been traded.