6 member team travels 1200kms Mumbai to Bangalore via road to execute this operation which is one the biggest of the recent times. The Thane Forest Department was in possession of above 800 Star Tortoises which were seized and rescued by various government agencies like WCCB, DRI and Forest Department themselves in and around Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai in last few months. Star Tortoises being non native to Maharashtra and no facilities in and around Mumbai to host them it was a task to maintain them. However the Forest Department with help and support from our team at RAWW did their best to reduce the post seizure mortality rate with daily cleaning, basking, feeding, treatment and other upkeep activities. Realizing the same it was suggested by us amongst many others and also decided by concerned authorities to repatriate these reptiles back to their natural suitable habitat. The WCCB West and Thane Forest Department performed necessary procedures to initiate the process by communicating and procuring permissions from the Chief Wildlife Wardens of both Maharashtra and Karnataka A team of 6 members from RAWW and Thane Forest Department were appointed to execute this repatriation process. The team travelled 1200kms in 24 hours with 10 halts to ensure that the reptiles were fine from Mumbai to Bangalore with 734 Star Tortoises and no mortality. All tortoises we fit and active after reaching Bennarghatta National Park where they were allowed to settle at A Rocha, India's field station after the long travel. They were then released back to their suitable natural habitat in a distributive manner with help of officials and staff of Karnataka Forest Department at Bannerghatta National Park.

I thank everybody who was directly and indirectly a part of the whole exercise including the raids/ seizures, post seizure , treatment, feeding, basking, cleaning , paperwork, logistics etc.
Thane Forest Department
DCF Dr. J. Ramgavkar
RFO S.S Kank
Forester Sameer Inamdar
Forester Manoj Pardeshi
Rescue team member Santosh Bhagane
Support Staff Sachin
WCCB , Karnataka Forest Department, Bannerghatta National Park
Thane SPCA
Shakuntala Ma'am
Dr. Sanjay Jadhav
Dr. Rashmi
Hasmukh , Ravi, Harshit , Pareen and all others
#KFD #MFD
#Maharashtra #Karnataka #ForestDepartment #WildlifeCrimes #WildlifeConservation#StarTortoise #RAWW
#Rescue #Conserve #Coexist
PS
The happiness and feeling you witness after witnessing wildlife back in its habitat is the best and when they are 734 in all, it just fixes in your memories forever. #SayNoToWildPets