Context:
Indian tent turtle is now listed in Schedule –I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and is thereby provided the highest degree of protection.
Relevance:
GS III- Species in News
Dimensions of the Article:
- Indian Tent Turtles
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
Indian Tent Turtles
- IUCN status: Least Concerned
- The Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) belongs to the Geoemydidae family of turtles. The species is only found in India and Bangladesh and is therefore considered endemic.
- Freshwater rivers and wetlands are its favoured environments.
- The species is native to India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, where three subspecies,
- P. t. tentoria:
- It been found in Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh in peninsular India.
- P. t. circumdata,
- It can be found in the Ganga’s western tributaries and Gujarat’s rivers. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat are the states where it may be found.
- P. t. flaviventer,
- It is found in the Ganga’s northern tributaries and has been documented in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.
- P. t. tentoria:
Major Threats:
Due to the attractive appearance of the species, they are illegally traded in the pet market.
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
- The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species.
- The Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed.
- The Act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected there with or ancillary or incidental thereto.
- It extends to the whole of India.
It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection.
| Schedule I: Species: Endangered species Penalty: Harsh with imprisonment Hunting: Not allowed Trade: Prohibited Examples: Tiger, Blackbuck, Himalayan Brown Bear, Brow-Antlered Deer, Blue whale, Common Dolphin, Cheetah, Clouded Leopard, Hornbills, Indian Gazelle, and many others. | Schedule II Penalty: Harsh Hunting: Not allowed Trade: Prohibited Examples: Kohinoor (insect), Assamese Macaque, Bengal Hanuman langur, Large Indian Civet, Indian Fox, Larger Kashmir Flying Squirrel, Kashmir Fox and many others. |
| Schedule III & IV Species: Not Endangered Penalty: Less compared to Schedules I & II Hunting: Not allowed Examples: Hyena, Himalayan rat, porcupine, flying fox, Malabar tree toad, etc. | Schedule V Hunting: Allowed Examples: Mice, Rat, common crow, fruit bats, etc. |
| Schedule VI Species: Include plants that are forbidden from cultivation Examples: Pitcher plant, Blue Vanda, Red vanda, Kuth, etc. |
