As Lok Sabha race heats up, a ‘critically endangered’ turtle revered as god becomes poll mascot in Bengal

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

The Election Commission has adopted “Mohan Babu”, an endangered black softshell turtle, as its mascot and plastered photos of the smiling turtle across the constituency.

More on news:

In the village of Baneswar in north Bengal, about 10 km from the city of Cooch Behar, lies a Shiva temple that Koch dynasty king Pran Narayan is said to have built during his reign in the 17th Century.
Devotees believe the temple came up on the ruins of a temple built by Asura king Banasura.
Shiva is not the sole resident deity in the temple.
The temple pond is home to “Mohan”, the name locals have given to endangered black softshell turtles.
These softshell turtles are considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

About Black Softshell Turtles:

The black softshell turtle or Bostami turtle (Nilssonia nigricans), previously placed in genus Aspideretes, is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam and Tripura) and Bangladesh (Chittagong and Sylhet).
It was long believed to consist of inbred individuals of the Indian softshell turtle .
Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
But it does not enjoy legal protection under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, although it has traditionally been hunted for its meat and cartilage, traded in regional and international markets.
The black softshell turtle is being bred in the pond of Hayagriva Madhab Temple at Hajo in Guwahati, Assam.
Locals regard the turtles in the pond as Kurma avatar of Lord Vishnu to whom the Hajo temple is dedicated.
India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam.
Threats to turtles include hunting for meat and eggs, silt mining, encroachment of wetlands and changes in flooding patterns have had a disastrous impact on the turtle population.
Until sightings along the Brahmaputra’s drainage in Assam, the black softshell turtle was thought to be “extinct in the wild” and confined only to ponds of temples in northeastern India and Bangladesh.