Thirty-seven eggs of “Batagur Baska,” a rare species of riverine turtle, hatched at the Wildlife Breeding Centre in Karamjal of the East Sundarbans on Friday.
The eggs were expected to hatch after 65-67 days inside the incubator, said Azad Kabir, in-charge of the centre.
But, because of the recent hot and humid weather, the eggs hatched around a week early, he added.
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 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; and in 2020, two turtles laid 56 eggs and 52 of them hatched.
In 2021, the turtles laid 27, 23, 23, and 23 eggs on February 28, March 3, March 5, and March 20 respectively.
