63 endangered turtles of five kinds have returned to Assam after months of painstaking preparation and onerous regulatory approvals. The endangered Indian roof turtle, crowned river turtle, brown roof turtle, and spotted river terrapin are among the turtles.

Between 2019 and 2020, the Pune Forest Division confiscated the turtles. They were being smuggled out of Assam and into western India. Following the success of previous translocation operations by Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) India, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh State forest departments, and Air India in 2015, Maharashtra and Assam forest departments relied on TSA’s experience in such matters once more.