The staff of Amaravati Boating Club (ABC), a private firm that organises leisure water sports at Bhavani Island in the Krishna River, had a surprise guest on Tuesday morning. They spotted a red-eared slider in the jetty area.
They brought out of the water the exotic species of tortoise with red stripes around its ears. Club Chief Executive Officer Tarun Kakani enquired about the species with the experts at the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Later, he handed it over to the forest officials.
“The WWF experts described red-eared slider as the most invasive turtle. It can have negative impacts on the ecosystems to which they are not native. The species have certain advantages over the native populations such as lower age of maturity, higher fecundity rates and larger body size, which gives them a competitive advantage at basking and nesting sites. They exploit the food resources in an ecosystem,” said Mr. Kakani.
