Indian flapshell turtles aren’t significantly uncommon however are a protected species – Copyright AFP –

Deliberate poisoning is prone to blame for the dying of dozens of turtles at a lake close to Mumbai, Indian wildlife specialists informed AFP Sunday.

Conservation staff have been alerted to the incident after a neighborhood politician requested them to research a foul scent across the physique of water in Kalyan, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of India’s leisure capital.

Suhas Pawar of the Wild Animal and Reptile Rescue conservation group stated 57 Indian flapshell turtles had been killed whereas one other six have been rescued.

He informed AFP that locals seemingly killed the reptiles to cease them from consuming fish they have been illegally breeding within the lake.

“Everything is being investigated now, a post-mortem and scientific analysis will reveal the exact cause of these deaths,” Pawar stated.

He added that Covid-19 restrictions over the previous two years had seemingly led to a surge within the native turtle inhabitants.

“Restrictions on human activity likely increased the fish stocks at the lake and these turtles were now growing in numbers by feeding on them, which angered some locals,” Pawar stated.

Indian flapshell turtles aren’t significantly uncommon however are a protected species below the Wildlife Protection Act.