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Officials of Nagaland Zoological Park pose for a group photo with the endangered Burmese Mountain Tortoises after the training programme on April 23.[/caption]
Dimapur, April 23 (EMN): With the objective to conserve breeding of the endangered Burmese Mountain Tortoises in captivity, the Nagaland Zoological Park (NZP) has successfully hosted the first ever workshop on “Turtle husbandry and conservation breeding for keepers from selected North-east India zoos” on April 23.
Participants from Manipur and Assam including animal keepers from various zoos and facilities having Burmese mountain tortoise participated in the programme. The workshop was organised by Turtle Survival Alliance- India (TSA- India).
Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) is an action oriented global partnership that is committed to zero turtle extinctions in the 21st century. TSA creates breeding programmes including building facilities for critically endangered freshwater turtles and tortoises. They conduct field research, promote conservation awareness among local communities and provide support, knowledge, training and resources to conservation partners around the world.
Out of 28 species of turtles found in India, 23 species are found in North East India many of which are critically endangered and are in need of conservation intervention to save them from eminent extinction, a press release issued by Obed Bohovi Swu, Director of Nagaland Zoological Park stated.
The workshop stressed on the different turtle species found in the region and their husbandry in captivity. The workshop was expected to create much needed awareness on the conservation of different turtle species of the region and serve as a road map for conservation breeding of the endangered Asian mountain tortoise.
The Nagaland Zoological Park has at present 13 numbers of Burmese Mountain Tortoise at ideally located enclosure facility.
Director of TSA-India and expert in turtle conservation in the country, Dr. Shailendra Singh attended the workshop as the main resource person. Dr. Rajiv Basumatary, a turtle expert in the North East, also the attended the workshop as resource person and shared about the different species of turtles of North east India.
Director of Nagaland Zoological Park, Obed Bohovi Swu, has thanked TSA-India for organising the workshop and expressed hope that Nagaland Zoological Park would get opportunity to host bigger programmes in the future.
