Vadodara: 36 flapshell turtles found dead in lake on Ajwa Road

VADODARA: In a shocking incident, 36 flapshell turtles were found dead in a lake opposite Kamlanagar on Ajwa Road in the city on Friday morning.
Locals who spotted the floating carcasses on the lake surface, informed the wildlife activists.
Primary inquiry by forest officials revealed that low grade explosions below the water surface may have killed these turtles that are protected under schedule I.
This is the first instance of so many flapshell turtles found dead together in any waterbody in the city, said Raj Bhavsar of Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA).“We got a call in morning following which we rushed to the spot and saw dozens of dead turtles floating in a corner of the lake. We began removing it with the help of forest officials,” he said.
Initially, 31 dead turtles aged between two to four years of age were removed, but later five more were found in the lake.
Range forest officer (RFO), Vadodara, Nidhi Dave said, “We are inquiring about the cause of their death. Some of the turtles have burnt marks on their body so it is possible that they may have died due to some explosion below the water. But we will be able to tell exact cause only after we get post-mortem report and viscera results.”
Bhavsar, however, asserted that the burns indicate of some kind of explosion under water that killed the turtles.
“Fishermen often use low grade explosives that blast below the water to kill fishes and make them float on water. We have often caught fishermen using this technique in Mahi River. The same must have happened in this lake too. The civic body gives fishing lease in these lakes and so it must inquire into the matter. The forest department should take strict action against the culprits,” the activist added.
What, however, has baffled the forest officials is that only turtles were found dead in the water.
The investigations will also focus on any pollutant liquid that may have caused the turtle deaths. Wildlife experts say that every lake in the city has a big population of flapshell turtles that often travel between the various water bodies.