The Chandpur Model Police rescued a colossal 71kg sea turtle, believed to be around 200 years old.
Later it was released into the Meghna River with the assistance of the Forest Department on Saturday afternoon.
Officials from the forest department said: “The turtle is approximately 200 years old, a sentiment echoed by the local Tripura community. Turtles can live long lives. A Galápagos tortoise named Harriet was collected by Charles Darwin in 1835; it died in 2006, having lived for at least 176 years.”
It was learned that the massive sea turtle was caught in the nets of local fishermen in the Haimchar upazila near the riverbanks, two to three days ago.
Josim Uddin, a local businessman, purchased it on Saturday for resale in Baliya Union, at Tk19,000.
Tribe leader Khokon Tripura said: "Primarily, we bought it for consumption. We had plans to prepare it for eating. But later, we handed it over to the administration."
He added that the elderly people in their community have memories of consuming sea turtles of similar age in the past, though such occurrences are rare nowadays.
Chandpur Model police station Assistant Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman said: “Upon receiving the news of the turtle being caught, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Mohsin Alom directed him to visit the site. Subsequently, with coordination from the forest department, they recovered and brought the turtle to Chandpur, where arrangements were made for its release into the Meghna River.”
An official from the Forest Department in Chandpur Bilal Hossain informed UNB: "Catching turtles from the river and selling or consuming them is entirely illegal. Such large turtles are rarely seen nowadays in the rivers. This particular giant turtle was rescued with the assistance of the police, and in the future, legal action will be taken against those who catch and trade them."
