According to a recent study by ecologists in the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, the sal forest tortoise is not common in the designated protected areas. The study was published in the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology.
- It is widely distributed over eastern and northern India and Southeast Asia. However, only a small groups are found in these areas with the actual habitat it roams around in.
- The sal forest tortoise, also known as the elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) is designated as a critically endangered (CR) species.
- It is collected both for local use, such as decorative masks, and international wildlife trade.
- 29% of the predicted distribution of the species falls within high occurrence fire zones or areas where there is management burning.
- Uttarakhand is the “westernmost” distribution limit of the species.
- Sal forest tortoise species are rare and live in remote areas of the forest.
- India is home to five species of tortoises.
Source: The Hindu
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