POONA RESCUE CENTRE TO RELEASE STAR TORTOISES

July 27, 2006

Friday , July 21, 2006

[image: Dotted line] *NEWS* *Katraj park to release 112 starback

tortoises * *Uma Karve

@expressindia.com>

*Pune, July 20:* Over a hundred Indian starback tortoises that were rescued

from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on June 21 and sent

to Uttara's Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Katraj on June 29

will now go back to the wild. The zoo authorities have decided to release

them near Hampi in Karnataka in the first week of August.

The tortoises, found in an unclaimed bag, were to be put on a flight to

Malaysia. Katraj park founder Neelimkumar Khaire says, " Of the 500 in the

bag, some 380 were found dead. The rest were sent by the airport authorities

and the forest department to the bird sanctuary in Karnala where a few more

died. The rest were sent to us. "

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hundred-odd tortoises are the largest the park has received so far, says

Khaire. " We have received Indian starback tortoises recovered from those who

kept them as pets illegally and those seized from people who wanted to

smuggle them out, but their numbers were only a few, " he says.The park has

been busy looking after all the 112 tortoises which fall in the schedule IV

of the protected animals act.

Khaire says, " We have to ensure that they have all eaten, that all are

basking in the sun, that the room temperature is perfect and that none have

any infections. " Given their age-varying between two and six months this is a

huge challenge. Besides these basic requirements, Khaire adds,

" We are working to ensure that they don't start getting dependent on us for

food. Along with our regular food items, we give them food like cactus which

they will feed on in the wild. "

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