Deliberate poisoning is likely to blame for the death of dozens of turtles at a lake near Mumbai, wildlife experts told AFP Sunday.
Conservation workers were alerted to the incident after a local politician asked them to investigate a foul smell around the body of water in Kalyan, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the country's entertainment capital.
Suhas Pawar of the Wild Animal and Reptile Rescue conservation group said 57 flapshell turtles had been killed while another six were rescued.
He told AFP that locals likely killed the reptiles to stop them from eating fish they were illegally breeding in the lake.
"Everything is being investigated now, a post-mortem and scientific analysis will reveal the exact cause of these deaths," Mr Pawar said.
He added that Covid-19 restrictions over the past two years had likely led to a surge in the local turtle population.
"Restrictions on human activity likely increased the fish stocks at the lake and these turtles were now growing in numbers by feeding on them, which angered some locals," Mr Pawar said.
Indian flapshell turtles are not particularly rare but are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Canada Cop Who Attended Khalistani Protest Outside Hindu Temple Suspended Explained: Sunita Williams Experiences 16 Sunrises And Sunsets Every Day Spoke Of Reunification Under India: Sources On Lalduhoma's Viral Old Speech US Woman, 23, Goes Blind In One Eye After Swimming With Contact Lenses Will Madrassa Law Stay? Supreme Court To Decide Today: 10 Points Over Three Dozen Indian Americans Running For State Legislations, Local Bodies Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.