UNB, Bagerhat :
Another Batagur Baska, a rare species of river turtle, laid 23 eggs at Wildlife Breeding Centre in Karamjal in the East Sundarbans on Wednesday.
On February 28, a Batagur Baska laid 27 eggs at the same centre in Karamjal.
The forest department has kept the eggs in the incubator for safe hatching, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of the centre. The eggs are expected to hatch after 65-67 days.
Batagur Baska is one of the most critically endangered turtles in the world and can only be found in the wild in the mangroves of Bangladesh and India.
In 2017, two turtles of the same species laid 63 eggs, of which 57 hatched. In 2018, two turtles laid 46 eggs, of which 26 hatched. In 2019, one turtle laid 32 eggs and all of them hatched, while in 2020, two turtles laid 56 eggs of which 52 hatched.
Meanwhile, some 10 turtles will be released in the Sundarbans in 2021, making the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said Azad.
Authorities concerned released two turtles in the Sundarbans in 2017 and five in 2018.
