"Incredibly Rare" Cantor's Giant Turtle Found In Kerala

Conservationists have discovered an "incredibly rare" turtle in India. The team included conservationists from University of Portsmouth, said the BBC, and they uncovered the nesting site of Cantor's giant softshell turtle. The species, native to the rivers of south and south-east Asia, is classified as critically endangered. In a release, University of Portsmouth said the turtle was found on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala. The team of researchers interacted with the locals to who took them to the river, the study further said.

It has been published in the journal Oryx.

The study was led by conservationists from the University of Portsmouth and Zoological Society of London in England, University of Miami, Museum of Zoology at the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research in Germany, Florida Museum of Natural History in the US, and Wildlife Institute of India.

"Known for its rarity and secretive nature, this species has long been a subject of fascination and concern among conservationists," the researchers said in the study.

"Habitat destruction has made it disappear from much of its environment. They are also heavily harvested by locals for meat and are often killed by fishermen when caught in fishing gear," it added.

Dr Francoise Cabada-Blanco, an expert from the university, told the BBC, "For years, the Cantor turtle's existence has barely been a murmur against the backdrop of India's bustling biodiversity, with sightings so scarce that the turtle's very presence seemed like a ghost from the past."

The expert further said the team was able to "engage the community really effectively".

The university said that the discovery led to the first documentation of a female nesting, and the rescue of eggs from flooded nests. "The hatchlings were later released into the river."