Past and Present Status of Terrapins in Saidpur-Dinajpur of Bangladesh

Northern regions of Bangladesh consist of eight districts-Lalmopnirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, and Pancharagh.Due to taking raw meat and similar food stuffs, terrapins could be affected by Salmonella (Alderton, 2008).Turtles are essentially important even after death, as their long lifespan and high bone content (Ahsan, 2022).Subsistence hunting is probably the most immediate threat to chelonians in the region (Rahman et al., 2015).To date, 23 freshwater turtle and tortoise species have been recorded from Bangladesh (Rashid and Swingland, 1997;Rashid and Khan 2000;Khan, 2010;Kabir et al., 2009).Turtle farming became a booming aquaculture industry in the past two decades specifically in the southeastern states of the United States of America and across southeast Asia.These farms are currently producing turtles only for the pet trade while commercial trappers remain focused on catching the largest individuals from the wild (Mali et al., 2015).Unrestricted commercial harvest of wildlife can lead to species decline and extinction (Jonzen et al., 2001).Chelonians have been exploited for meat, eggs, and traditional medicine since the 16 th century (Klemens, 2000), and more recently for the trade (Alves and Santana, 2008;Chen et al., 2009;Fordham et al., 2007).China in particular is leading the world in turtle consumption as food (Cheung et al., 2006;Gong et al., 2009;Xianlin et al., 2002).Captive breeding of turtle has expanded in the last two decades in China; and other Southeast Asian countries to meet this demand (Haitao et al., 2008;Haitao et al., 2007;Pongtanapanich, 2007).The future of turtle farming is not only important for the economy of the region but also has potential to serve as the foundation for conservation and recovery of wild populations as well (Mali et al., 2015).In Asia, turtle meat is not only a source of protein, it is associated with cultural beliefs such as longevity and healing powers.The objective of this study is to understand the present status of freshwater terrapins in wild and captive condition in Nilphamari and Dinajpur District of Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODSFor this write-up, under the district of Dinajpur-Ramsagor, a terrapin farm, Singra forest, and under Nilphamari district-Nilsagor and Dhelapir hat were the place for surveying.Ramsagor: Ramsagor is located in the village Tajpur in Dinajpur district and is the largest manmade lake in Bangladesh.It is situated about 8 kilometers south of the Dinajpur town.This lake is about 1079 meters long from north to south, and 192.6 meters wide from east to west.It is created in the mid-1750s, funded by Raja Ram Nath.