Two Indian star tortoises rescued from train in Palghar

Two Indian star tortoises allegedly smuggled in a cardboard box were found on a local train in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, a forest official said on Sunday. A passenger found an abandoned cardboard box placed on a seat of a Palghar-bound train from Dahanu Road on Friday and discovered the tortoises inside, the official said.

The passenger called the helpline of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), and a team was assigned to rescue the tortoises, said Pawan Sharma, founder and president of RAWW and Honorary Wildlife Warden with the forest department.