Turtle With Cracked Shell: IVRI Scientists On Mission To Save Reptile In UP's Bareilly

A turtle whose shell cracked after an accident has become the centre of attraction in Uttar Pradesh with scientists at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) on a mission to save the reptile and fix its shell.

Bareilly (UP):The scientists at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) here are on a mission to save an Indian flapshell turtle, whose shell cracked after an accident.

A social worker found the turtle in Budaun and brought it to the institute on July 8, Dr A M Pawde, principal scientist & in-charge, Centre for Wildlife, IVRI, said on Wednesday. The Indian flapshell turtles are listed as vulnerable in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of wildlife species.

"After inspecting the turtle, we found that its back (shell or cover) was broken after some vehicle ran over it. It becomes very difficult to save the turtle in this condition as the cover gives it moisture and controls heat. It was necessary to join the cover (shell)," Dr Pawde said. He said the turtle's cover is very hard and the broken part can be joined only by stitching.

"It was difficult to ortho drill the cover for stitching because the condition of the turtle was very delicate. We were also not able to give it sedatives because of its poor condition. Saving the turtle in such a scenario had become very challenging," Dr Pawde said.

"Initially, we tried to use blouse hooks to join the cover but did not succeed. We also tried glue and that too did not yield results. After that we tried an ortho surgical pin to join the broken parts of the shell but that also did not work. Later, a ring of ortho surgical pins was made and a stapler was used to connect them," he said.

Dr Pawde said the turtle is under observation and they are praying to God for its recovery. Bareilly's Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Diksha Bhandari said that with her permission the injured turtle was sent to IVRI for treatment.