Barishal Correspondent :
Within 48-hours another dead tortoise floated to Kuakata beach on Tuesday.
The tortoise spotted again on Tuesday at Kuakata beach in Patuakhali district was weighed approximately 30-35 kg. Jewel Rana, a member of the Kuakata Dolphin Conservation Committee, spotted the tortoise near the Zero Point tourist park on Kuakata Beach at 10:00 am on Tuesday (April 5).
He told that other members were informed when they saw the turtle floating with the tide adjacent to the tourist park at Zero Point on the beach. Later they came and recovering the tortoise buried it on the beach.
Ruman Imtiaz Tushar, team leader of the Kuakata Dolphin Conservation Committee, told that the scientific name of the tortoise that arrived today was Lepidocelium olivacia. It’s a male tortoise. A mother tortoise was also found dead yesterday.
Sagarika Smriti, an associate researcher at the Patuakhali District US-Aid / Eco-Fish 2 of World Fish Bangladesh project, told that the dead turtle had been floating for several days but the exact cause of death was not yet known. Only after examining the DNA bar-coding autopsy of the tortoise earlier we sent for testing the cause of death could be determined.
On April 3, we met with deep-sea fishermen to find out the cause of the tortoise’s death, she said.
However, it seems that the turtles are dying more in the deep sea fishing trawling nets. We are moving towards some more new methods. So that the cause of death can be determined.
Patuakhali sub-divisional forest conservator Tariqul Islam told that the primary cause of death of the tortoise could be the unawareness of the fishermen and loss of marine balance. However, it will take some more time to know the exact reason.
In the last two months, more than 11 dead dolphins, turtles and other marine animals have been spotted on Kuakata beach.
