The Social Forestry Department in Vadodara rescued a rare Albino Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) from a freshwater lake in Chikhodra on Wednesday.A forest officer said it might be the first time such a turtle has been spotted in Gujarat.
This unique colour variant of a freshwater species native to the Indian subcontinent is believed to be the first of its kind rescued in Gujarat.
According to a media report, the baby turtle attracted a crowd of curious onlookers at the lake, leading rescuers to safely take it in and hand it over to the Social Forestry Department near Sayajibaug in Vadodara.
Range Forest Officer, Vadodara, Karansinh Rajput said, “We received a call about this rare yellow turtle that climbed up on the bank from a freshwater lake at Chikhodra. Our rescue team reached the spot and brought the turtle to the centre. This is a rare species and probably seen for the first time in Gujarat. Now we will take guidance from the District Wildlife Warden for its conservation.”
The albino turtle is named so due to its unique discolouration caused by a congenital genetic condition of a lacking pigment that is present in the turtles with the common dark green or brown shells.