Why in the News?
The Asian giant tortoise (Manouria emys), the largest tortoise in mainland Asia, has been reintroduced into the Zeliang Community Reserve in Nagaland’s Peren district.
About Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys):
- It is the largest tortoise in mainland Asia.
- Two subspecies: Manouria emys emys and Manouria emys phayrei.
- Uniquely, it lays eggs above ground in leaf-litter nests.
- Behaviour: It is solitary and active mostly during dawn and dusk.
- Found in evergreen and bamboo forests across India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
- Habitat in India: Nengpui WLS, Nongkhyllem WLS, and North Cachar Hills.
- Conservation status: IUCN – Critically Endangered; CITES – Appendix II; Wildlife Protection Act – Schedule IV.
- Major threats: Illegal hunting for meat, habitat degradation, forest fires, and bamboo removal.
| [UPSC 2017] In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply?
Options: (a) It enjoys the same level of protection as the tiger* (b) It no longer exists in the wild, a few individuals are under captive protection; and how it is impossible to prevent its extinction (c) It is endemic to a particular region of India (d) Both (b) and (c) stated above are correct in this context. |
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