In 2007, a study published by Peter Praschag, an Australian zoologist, caused a stir in the Turtle conservation circles. The conclusions of the study implied that the numbers of Batagur Baska or the Northern River Terrapin, one of the most endangered turtles in the world, were not accurate.
The Batagur Baska were supposedly distributed across the Bay of Bengal, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Cambodia. Their numbers were estimated to be anywhere between 500 to 2,500. However, the study concluded that the Turtles of India and its neighbours were not the same as the ones in Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
It meant the Batagur Baska estimates in were not correct. Until then, conservationists found solace in the successful conservation efforts in Malaysia and Cambodia. But now, no one knew where to find them, let alone worry about their numbers. Their habitat dwindled dramatically–to a limited area of east Indian and Bangladeshi mangroves, extending into Myanmar.
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