Asian Giant Tortoise

• Context (TH): Captive-bred Asian Giant Tortoises were reintroduced in Nagaland’s Zeliang Reserve, strengthening India’s participatory tortoise conservation model.

About Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys)

• Asia’s Largest: It is the heaviest and largest tortoise species in mainland Asia.
• Unique Nesting: Only tortoise that builds and guards leaf-litter nests above ground.
• Habitat Zone: Prefers moist tropical hill forests; commonly called the mountain tortoise.
• Global Distribution: Found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, & Thailand.
• Indian Range: Inhabits Nengpui (Mizoram), Barail (Cachar, Assam), & Nongkhyllem (Meghalaya) WLS.

Credit: IUCN

• Omnivorous Diet: Feeds on tubers, bamboo shoots, invertebrates, frogs, and forest vegetation.
• Ecological Role: Termed a “small elephant” for facilitating seed dispersal & nutrient cycling.
• Threat Drivers: Declining due to hunting, habitat loss, and illegal wildlife trafficking.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Endangered | WPA, 1972: Schedule IV | CITES: Appendix I

Reintroduction in Nagaland

• Selected Site: Zeliang Community Reserve (Nagaland) was chosen after habitat suitability assessments.
• Captive Source: All released tortoises were bred at Nagaland Zoo’s ex-situ conservation facility.
• Local Engagement: Youth were trained as “Tortoise Guardians” for monitoring & sensitisation activities.
• Programme: Reintroduction was led under ITCP in collaboration with Turtle Survival Alliance.