250 endangered turtles rescued from alleged trafficking in Bhola

The Forest Department has rescued 250 endangered turtles from Char Fasson upazila of Bhola while they were allegedly being trafficked.The turtles were rescued during a raid yesterday morning. They were found confined in four bamboo baskets, but no one was present at the scene when the Forest Department officials arrived.According to the Forest Department, the rescued the endangered turtles included Indian softshell turtles, locally known as “sundhi kachim”, and spotted pond turtles, locally known as “kori kaitta”.Of the 250 rescued turtles, 153 were released in ponds at the Char Fasson upazila range office and in Sadar upazila around 9:00pm last night.The remaining 97 turtles were released this morning in a pond belonging to the Roads and Highways Department and a canal near a ferry termin