Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

In my little knowledge, there are two instances that a tortoise was ever recorded in Sikkim, on both occasions the tortoise was reported to be Indotestudo elongata .     * The first recorded instance was during the last week of July 2008 a little yellow tortoise was found by two labours working at the site of a Rock Garden construction, at the base of nearby Tarey Bhir (South Sikkim) on the bank of a seasonal rivulet called Khanni Khola. that was later identified by Usha Lachungpa Sr. Research Officer (WL), she identified it as a male Sal Forest Tortoise Indotestudo elongata (Blyth) of the Family Testudinidae. * The second finding was from Chalamthang near Rhenock (East Sikkim) on June 27, 2011 . The yellowish color tortoise weighed around 3.5 to 4 Kg. It was later taken to Kitam Bird Sanctuary. It was rescued by Mani Kumar Pradhan, resident of Chalamthang. The department confirmed the species as Indotestudo elongata , an endangered species. This cold-bloo...

Rescue of East Asian or Elongated or Sal Forest Tortoise Indotestudo elongata from South Sikkim Gangtok: Present day Sikkim limits do not seem to have records of tortoises of any kind especially in the lowland forests. Hence we were surprised to get reports of a little yellow tortoise in the last week of July 2007. The rescuers were two labourers working at the site of a Rock Garden construction, at the base of nearby Tarey Bhir on the bank of a seasonal rivulet called Khanni Khola. The little tortoise weighing in at just one kilogram was handed over to the Range Officer (Territorial) Melli, South Sikkim through the Panchayat of the area. Mr. S. Tshering SFS ACF (Territorial) South took custody of the animal and seeking to identify it brought it to the Chief Wildlife Warden at Gangtok where it was temporarily housed at the Himalayan Zoological Park at c. 1900m altitude. Usha Lachungpa Sr. Research Officer (WL) identified it as a male Sal Forest Tortoise Indotestudo el...