A soft shell Gangetic fresh water turtle, an endangered specie whose carapace bears
resemblance to the eyes of Lord Jagannath, is being held captive at a mutt in Kendrpara district and people are flocking to offer puja to it.
Official sources said here today the people from areas near Khadipala village are flocking to the mutt for a glimpse of the repltile in the belief that it is aharbinger of peace and prosperity.
Wildlife and revenue officials, who rushed to the place on receipt of the news, were chased away by the devotees.
Later, the Orissa forest department registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 against the head of the mutt.
''We had to register the case as the turtle is in a state of distress. It is a case of mistaken identity as juvenile soft shell turtles have markings on the carapace that resemble Lord Jagannath's eyes. As these species grow, the shell marking vanish,'' said Prasanna Kumar Behera, divisional forest officer of Rajnagar wildlife forest division.
The reptile is an endangered species under schedule-1 category of the Wildlife Protection Act, he said.
''We tried our best to convince the priests and locals to hand it over to the forest department. But the villagers are adamant and unrelenting,'' Behera said.
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