Turtle killed during Vishwamitri dredging

Vadodara: A fully grown Indian flapshell turtle succumbed to injuries sustained during the ongoing dredging work of the Vishwamitri river near Mangal Pandey Bridge, close to VUDA Circle. The incident occurred on Tuesday night and the turtle died during treatment on Wednesday afternoon. The site falls under Zone-4 of the Vishwamitri river development project, an area known for its thriving populations of both flapshell turtles and crocodiles.

According to officials, an excavator operator engaged in dredging operations felt resistance while removing soil and discovered that the machine had struck a turtle. The animal had been injured by the excavator's teeth. Wildlife volunteers involved in the project, along with officials from the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the forest department, were immediately informed.



The forest department took the injured turtle for treatment, but despite their efforts, it succumbed to its injuries the following afternoon. "Turtles often bury themselves in the soil to escape the heat during summer. Since it was underground, it likely went unnoticed during the dredging," said range forest officer Karansinh Rajput.

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