Mizoram’s river turtles: a community hatchery brings a rare species back

The softshell turtles of Mizoram’s river systems, once hunted to the edge of disappearance, are making a comeback through an unusual partnership: village councils and herpetologists.

Communities along the Tiau river now guard nesting beaches and run a village hatchery that has released more than 400 hatchlings in three years.

The project’s success rests on a simple bargain: the villages keep the turtles, and the turtles keep the river’s balance.