Bhavnagar (Gujarat): More than 100 turtles were found dead in the wetland area of Kumbharwada in Gujarat's Bhavnagar on Sunday. The state forest department has initiated a probe into the incident.
The sudden death of so many turtles has raised speculations among the locals who said that the animals were fed bread just last night. The area is frequented by several birds, fish and turtles. But, the water is polluted as sewage from Sakhwadi mixes into it.
After noticing many turtles floating on the surface of the water this morning, the locals informed the forest department. Forest officials have initiated a probe into the matter and are inspecting the area where the turtles were found dead. Officials said that the turtles may have either died due to the polluted water or by consuming some inedible substance.
However, officials could not ascertain the exact cause of death. "Preliminary investigations hint that someone may have thrown some inedible item into the water which could have been consumed by the turtles leading to their death. The act may either have been done purposely or by mistake," said a forest official.
RFO Divyaraj Singh Sarvaiya said that primarily it seems that more than 100 turtles have died. Investigations are underway but we are still uncertain as to why so many turtles died in one night, Singh said.
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Meanwhile, a team of forest department experts, wearing special shoes and gloves, collected the bodies of turtles from the water. The bodies will be sent to Junagadh for post-mortem. "The exact cause of death will be known after seeing the post-mortem report," Singh said.
