Mongla, Bagerhat, 5 May (V7N) - In a positive development for the conservation of critically endangered species, 65 baby Batagur Baska turtles have successfully hatched at the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in the Sundarbans. The hatchlings emerged on Monday morning from a clutch of 82 eggs laid on February 15, 2025. These eggs had been carefully collected and incubated in the sand at the center.

According to Azad Kabir, the officer-in-charge of the Karamjal Breeding Center, the 65 newborns were promptly moved to a conservation pen within the center's turtle rearing facility. They will be raised in a pan before their eventual release into the larger pond at the center.

The breeding program for the Batagur Baska turtle, a species facing critical endangerment, began in Karamjal in 2014 with an initial group of only eight turtles. Since then, the program has witnessed significant success, with a total of 521 eggs laid and 475 hatchlings successfully emerging. Currently, the Karamjal Breeding Center houses 458 Batagur Baska turtles of various sizes. Over the years, more than a hundred young turtles from this center have been released into the sea and the Sundarbans in an effort to bolster the wild population of this rare species.

END/MPS/RH/