In a landmark moment for India’s biodiversity efforts, the endangered Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle, or Batagur kachuga, has returned to the Ganga River for the first time in three decades, conservation officials said on Tuesday.
The rare freshwater species, once thought locally extinct in the region, has reappeared following a carefully orchestrated reintroduction under the Namami Gange Mission, the government of India’s flagship river rejuvenation programme.
On April 26, twenty tagged turtles were released into the Haiderpur Wetland Complex in Uttar Pradesh, a Ramsar site near the Ganga, after being transferred from the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Centre in the National Chambal Sanctuary.
The turtles, equipped with sonic tracking devices, were released in two groups – upstream and downstream of the HWC barrage – as part of a pilot study comparing reintroduction strategies.
Return Signals Ecosystem Progress
“This is a historic moment for the Ganga’s ecosystem,” said the Ministry of Jal Shakti in a statement. “The return of Batagur kachuga is a symbol of hope and a result of years of ecological assessment and habitat restoration work under the Namami Gange programme.”
Surveys conducted since 2020 confirmed the absence of viable populations of the species in the river. The last known sightings were recorded more than 30 years ago near the Bijnore barrage.
Scientists had feared the species, considered one of the most endangered in northern India, had been wiped out from the Ganga basin due to pollution, habitat degradation and illegal poaching.
Long-Term Monitoring and Broader Impact
The turtles are expected to disperse into the main Ganga channel during the upcoming monsoon season, when HWC naturally connects with the river.
Conservationists will monitor their movement over the next two years to evaluate survival and adaptation, as part of a long-term population restoration plan led by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
The Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle reintroduction is being hailed as a success story for species conservation and ecosystem renewal along India’s most sacred river.
“The Namami Gange initiative has shown that targeted, science-backed interventions can reverse biodiversity loss,” the ministry added. “It sends a strong message about what can be achieved when conservation and community engagement work together.”
The mission, launched in 2014, aims to reduce pollution and restore the ecological health of the Ganga and its tributaries.
Also Read:
Clean Ganga Mission Approves 2025 Plan to Boost Urban River Rejuvenation
