Turtle (Kachhua) Wildlife Sanctuary

The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Kachhua Sanctuary, is located in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. It is recognised as India’s first freshwater turtle wildlife sanctuary, established to conserve endangered turtle species and support the ecological health of the Ganga River.

Location and Extent

The sanctuary covers a 7 km stretch of the Ganga River, extending from Ramnagar Fort to the Malviya Railway/Road Bridge in Varanasi. This protected riverine ecosystem plays a crucial role in maintaining aquatic biodiversity.

Purpose of Establishment

The sanctuary was created to ensure the survival of turtles released into the Ganga River under the Ganga Action Plan.
Turtles were introduced to naturally and organically remove half-burnt human remains that are often immersed in the river after Hindu funerary rituals.
This approach allowed the river ecosystem to be cleaned without hurting local cultural sentiments.

Turtle Conservation Measures

• Turtle hatchlings are bred at the Turtle Breeding Centre in Sarnath.

• About 2,000 turtle eggs are collected annually from the Chambal and Yamuna Rivers and brought to the centre.

• Once the hatchlings mature, they are released into the Ganga to enhance the turtle population, especially the declining Indian softshell turtle species.

Biodiversity of the Sanctuary

The sanctuary hosts a rich and diverse aquatic life, including:

• Turtles (various species including softshell turtles)

• The Gangetic Dolphin, an endangered species

• Several fish species such as Rohu, Tengra, and Bhakur

This biodiversity makes the sanctuary an important ecological zone in the Ganga river basin.

World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day is observed annually on 23rd May to highlight the importance of conserving turtles and tortoises. The day was established in 2000 to raise awareness and promote the global conservation of these species.

Key Facts About Turtles

Classification and Anatomy

Turtles belong to the order Testudines. They are reptiles distinguished by a cartilaginous shell that develops from their ribs and forms a protective shield. Unlike other animals with shells, turtles cannot shed or leave their shells, as it is an integral part of their skeleton.

Habitat

Turtles can inhabit both freshwater and marine environments.

Difference Between Turtles and Tortoises

Tortoises differ from other turtles primarily by being strictly terrestrial, while many turtle species are partially aquatic. Although all tortoises are turtles, not all turtles are tortoises. Both turtles and tortoises are generally shy and solitary animals, laying eggs on land by burying them in nests.

Key Features

Turtles are cold-blooded (ectothermic) species, meaning they regulate their body temperature by moving between warmer and cooler environments. Like other ectotherms, such as insects, fish, and amphibians, they have a slow metabolism and can survive extended periods without food or water.

Major Species

• Sea Turtles: Loggerhead Turtle, Green Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, and Flatback Turtle.

• Freshwater Turtles: Snapping Turtle, Painted Turtle, Red-eared Slider Turtle, Spiny Softshell Turtle, and Musk Turtle.

State of Turtle Species in India

Species Diversity

India is home to 30 species of freshwater turtles, of which 26 are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. States such as Assam, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh have a high diversity of turtle species. India also hosts five sea turtle species – Olive Ridley, Green, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Leatherback – all protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Protection Status (IUCN Red List)

• Olive Ridley, Loggerhead, and Leatherback turtles are classified as Vulnerable.

• Green Turtle is classified as Endangered.

• Hawksbill Turtle is classified as Critically Endangered.

Threats

Turtles face severe threats from habitat destruction, climate change, plastic pollution, and illegal wildlife trade for meat, pets, and traditional medicine. The states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are major trafficking hotspots.

Conservation Efforts in India

Protected Areas and Conservation Centres

Uttar Pradesh leads in turtle conservation by establishing turtle conservation centres in Kukrail (Lucknow), Sarnath (Varanasi), Chambal (Etawah), and a 30 km Turtle Sanctuary in Prayagraj.

Anti-Trafficking Measures

The Forest Department actively works to curb illegal trade, especially in Pilibhit, which is a major trafficking hotspot identified during WCCB’s Operation Kurma.

Research and Future Plans

A Turtle Conservation and Research Centre is being established in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve along River Mala, funded by CAMPA, to further strengthen conservation and research efforts

Difference between turtles and tortoises :

Feature	Turtle	Tortoise
Habitat	Mostly live in water (oceans, lakes, rivers)	Live on land only
Feet/Flippers	Webbed feet or flippers for swimming	Stumpy, elephant-like feet for walking
Shell Shape	Light, flat, streamlined	Heavy, dome-shaped
Diet	Omnivores (plants + small animals)	Mostly herbivores (plants, grasses, fruits)
Movement	Fast in water, slower on land	Slow on land
Lifespan	Long-lived, but usually less than tortoises	Very long-lived (80–150+ years)
Body Shape	Slimmer, adapted for swimming	Bulkier, adapted for land

Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

The Olive Ridley Turtle is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found worldwide. It derives its name from the olive-green coloration of its carapace (shell). These turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting phenomenon, called Arribada, where thousands of females gather on the same beach to lay eggs simultaneously.

Habitat and Distribution

Olive Ridley Turtles are found in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. They inhabit both pelagic (open ocean) and coastal waters.

Major Nesting Sites in India

• Odisha: Rushikulya, Gahirmatha, and Devi River mouth

• Andaman Islands

Note: Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is recognized as the largest known mass nesting rookery for Olive Ridley turtles in the world.

Reproduction

Olive Ridleys are famous for Arribada, a unique mass nesting phenomenon where thousands of females nest simultaneously.

• From September, they migrate up to 9,000 km from the Pacific to the Indian seas.

• After mating, males retreat, while females nest from December to March.

• Females nest 1–3 times per season, laying around 100 eggs per clutch.

• The sex of hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the nest.

Diet and Behavior

• Olive Ridleys are omnivorous, feeding on jellyfish, snails, crabs, prawns, algae, and small fish.

• They migrate long distances between feeding and nesting sites.

• They are solitary in the open ocean but gather in large numbers during nesting.

Protection Status

• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (India): Schedule I

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

• CITES: Appendix I

Threats

• Bycatch in fishing gear such as trawls, gillnets, and longlines.

• Poaching and egg harvesting for human consumption.

• Habitat loss due to coastal development.

• Pollution including plastic ingestion and marine contamination.

• Climate change leading to rising sea levels and temperature changes, which disrupt nesting sites and food sources.

Conservation Initiatives

• Operation Olivia: Initiative by the Indian Coast Guard since the 1980s to protect nesting turtles and prevent illegal trawling.

• Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs): Mandated in Odisha to prevent accidental deaths in trawl nets.

• Tagging Programs: Olive Ridley turtles are tagged with non-corrosive metal tags to track their movements and safeguard their habitats.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Loggerhead Sea Turtles are large oceanic reptiles found worldwide in warm waters. They are the largest hard-shelled turtles in the world and the second largest overall, after the leatherback sea turtle, which has a soft shell.Loggerhead turtles can sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it for long‑distance navigation, much like a natural GPS

• Adult Size: 90–95 cm long; up to 135 kg

• Largest Recorded: 213 cm; 545 kg

• Conservation Status: Vulnerable (IUCN)

Physical Characteristics

• Shell: Reddish-brown carapace (upper shell) divided into scutes; yellowish plastron (underside)

• Head: Narrow with a strong, beak-like jaw for crushing prey

• Sex Differences: Males have longer tails and claws; carapace wider but less domed

• Special Adaptations:

  • Salt glands near the eyes excrete excess salt (appears as “tears”)

  • Magnetic navigation allows migration and return to natal nesting beaches

Habitat and Distribution

• Oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Mediterranean

• Preferred Habitats: Coastal areas, estuaries, and open ocean

• Nesting Beaches: Females return to the same beach where they hatched to lay eggs

Behavior

• Swimming: Solitary; migrate seasonally between feeding and breeding grounds

• Diving: Can hold breath for 4–20 minutes (up to 4 hours in cold water); dive to 1,000+ feet

• Feeding Activity: Diurnal; hunt bottom-dwelling invertebrates

• Territoriality: Females may fight over feeding grounds using aggressive displays and biting

Reproduction

• Maturity: 17–33 years old

• Nesting:

  • Females lay 4–5 clutches per season

  • Around 112 eggs per clutch, buried above the high-tide line

• Hatchlings: Emerge after ~80 days; guided to the ocean by moonlight reflection

• Survival Rate: High predation from crabs, birds, and foxes; up to 95% mortality in some regions

 

Diet

• Omnivorous: Feed on clams, mussels, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish

• Unique Adaptation: Esophagus filters out foreign objects like fish hooks

Interesting Facts

• Cannot retract heads into shells

• Most common sea turtle in the Mediterranean

• Hatchlings use seaweed rafts (e.g., Sargassum) as shelter in the open ocean

Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Other Names
The leatherback sea turtle is sometimes called the lute turtle, leathery turtle, or simply the luth.

Taxonomy
It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and the family Dermochelyidae.

Physical Characteristics
The leatherback is the largest of all living turtles and the fourth-heaviest modern reptile, after three species of crocodilians. It can be easily distinguished from other sea turtles because it lacks a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered with skin and oily flesh, giving it a distinctive leathery appearance.

Distribution and Habitat
Leatherbacks are the largest and most wide-ranging of the seven species of sea turtles. They are found in all oceans except the Arctic and Antarctic. In the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Conservation Status
The leatherback sea turtle is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. In India, it is included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides the highest level of legal protection.

Interesting Fact
Leatherbacks are unique among sea turtles because they lack a hard shell, which is the origin of their name.

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Physical Features
Green sea turtles can grow up to 120 cm in length and weigh between 136–159 kg. Their carapace, or upper shell, is smooth and can vary in color, including black, grey, green, brown, and yellow, while their plastron (bottom shell) is typically yellowish-white. They have a comparatively small head and a modified “beak” instead of teeth, which is well-suited to their herbivorous diet. Green sea turtles have good underwater vision but are nearsighted out of water. Their eardrums are covered by skin, and they hear best at low frequencies.

Diet
Green sea turtles are primarily herbivorous, feeding mostly on seagrasses and algae. Their diet gives their fat a greenish hue, though it does not affect the color of their shell. This unique diet differentiates them from other sea turtle species.

Lifespan
Green sea turtles are estimated to live for 60–70 years.

Distribution and Migration
They are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world and nest along the coastlines of over 80 countries. The largest nesting populations are found in Costa Rica and Australia. Green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and nesting sites, with some migrations recorded at over 2,600 km.

Conservation Status
The green sea turtle is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to threats such as habitat loss, poaching, and the impacts of climate change.

Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Physical Features
The Hawksbill turtle is a striking marine reptile, easily recognized by its pointed beak, which resembles that of a hawk. It has a flattened body with flipper-like limbs adapted for swimming. Its carapace, or upper shell, displays intricate patterns of amber, orange, red, yellow, black, and brown, making it highly valued in the illegal tortoiseshell trade.

Distribution and Habitat
Hawksbill turtles are primarily found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. They inhabit coral reefs, rocky areas, estuaries, and lagoons. These turtles are migratory, traveling long distances between feeding and nesting grounds.

Diet and Ecological Role
Hawksbills have a specialized diet that consists mainly of sponges. They use their pointed beak to extract sponges from crevices in coral reefs. This feeding behavior helps control sponge populations, preventing them from smothering corals and thereby maintaining reef health.

Reproduction
Female Hawksbill turtles reach sexual maturity at around 20–30 years of age. They nest on sandy beaches, laying clutches of eggs every 2–4 years. Hatchlings face numerous threats on their journey to the sea, and only a small fraction survive to adulthood.

Conservation Status
The Hawksbill turtle is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with its survival threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal trade of its shell.

Hawksbill Turtle Action Plan

Background
At COP14, concerns were raised regarding the declining population of the Hawksbill turtle. Key threats include exploitation and trade, as highlighted in recent scientific assessments in the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia Region and the Western Pacific Ocean Region.

Adoption of the Action Plan
In response, COP14 adopted the Single Species Action Plan (SSAP) for the Hawksbill turtle in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific Ocean Region. The plan directs participating parties to undertake immediate conservation actions and implement its provisions effectively.

Implementation and Directions
Parties are required to nominate national government representatives and one national expert to ensure the effective execution of the action plan. Priority actions outlined in the SSAP should be addressed as soon as possible, while medium-priority actions are to be integrated into national planning. Implementation of the plan will depend on the availability of resources

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are known for their remarkable synchronous mass nesting events, called arribadas, a Spanish word meaning “arrivals.” During an arribada, tens of thousands of female turtles come ashore to nest within the same 3–7 day period, usually once a month.
Along with olive ridleys, and to a lesser extent flatbacks, Kemp’s ridleys are among the only sea turtle species that commonly nest during the daytime.

Conservation Efforts

An extraordinary bi-national conservation effort between Mexico and the United States has helped protect Kemp’s ridleys from extinction. This includes translocating eggs from nesting beaches in Mexico to protected beaches in Texas and head-starting programs, in which hatchlings are raised in captivity to larger sizes before release. These measures help reduce predation and increase survival rates.

Physical Characteristics

Adults: Adult Kemp’s ridley turtles measure about 60–70 cm in length and can weigh up to 45 kg.
Hatchlings: Newly hatched turtles are approximately 25 mm long and weigh 15–20 g.

Diet

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles feed primarily on benthic invertebrates, including crabs, crustaceans, mollusks, and occasionally jellyfish. This diet remains consistent across all life stages.

Reproduction

Kemp’s ridleys reach sexual maturity at around 15 years of age. After their first nesting event, females return to nest every 1–3 years.
During a nesting season, each female lays 1–3 clutches, with each clutch containing 90–130 eggs. These ping-pong-ball–sized eggs weigh about 30 g each and incubate for approximately 50 days before hatching.

Threats

Kemp’s ridley turtles face numerous human-related threats, made worse by the fact that nearly all nesting sites are limited to the Gulf of Mexico, making the species extremely vulnerable.

Major threats include:

• Fisheries Interactions: Bycatch in fishing nets and lines is one of their greatest threats. Discarded fishing gear (“ghost gear”) continues to entangle turtles in the ocean.

• Pollution and Pathogens: Plastic pollution causes entanglement, impaired movement, choking, internal damage, and blockages when ingested.

• Coastal Development: Beach development reduces available nesting habitat, and artificial lighting disorients both nesting females and hatchlings.

• Climate Change: Changes in climate affect food sources, migration routes, nest temperatures, and hatchling sex ratios. Hotter sands lead to more female hatchlings, disrupting the population balance.

• Direct Take: In some regions, turtle eggs are harvested, and adults are hunted for their meat.

Distribution

Kemp’s ridley turtles have the most restricted range of all sea turtle species.
They only nest in:

• Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (primary site)

• Texas, USA

Their non-nesting range includes the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.