It was round six years in the past that ecologist Ayushi Jain arrived in Kasaragod, Kerala, in search of the Asian large softshell turtle (a big freshwater turtle). She interacted with the neighborhood, took them into confidence and ultimately noticed the turtle. She went on to doc the critically endangered species, with the assist of the folks, who proceed their efforts to guard the turtles.
Ayushi’s efforts are informed in the documentary Saving the Bhimanama: Ayushi Jain and a Giant Turtle, directed by Bahar Dutt and Vijay Bedi, which lately obtained the award for the greatest documentary (jury) at the fifteenth Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival 2025.
Hatchlings of the Asian large softshell turtle
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The 11-minute documentary is produced by Roundglass Sustain, which has been ‘telling stories of India’s wildlife and habitats to create consciousness and assist conservation’. “This documentary is part of the Science in Action series, which talks about the scientists and their work through which we know more about the species. Ayushi’s story stands out not just because of the turtle but also because of the community’s involvement,” says Samreen Farooqui, who produced the documentary for Roundglass Sustain. She provides, “In spite of being the largest and rarest, the turtle was overlooked. At Roundglass, we talk about things that are overlooked.”
The olive-brown turtles, exceptionally lengthy for a freshwater turtle (one metre) and one in all the largest, weighing as much as 100 kilograms, is known as the Asian large softshell turtle as a consequence of its distribution in Asia. It is also called the Cantor’s large softshell turtle, after Dr Theodore Edward Cantor, a zoologist and botanist. In the native parlance, it’s sometimes called Bhimanama (bhiman means large and aama is turtle) and Palapoovan, since its options resemble palapoo or the flower of Indian satan’s tree.
Ayushi Jain (left) and Bahar Dutt in the documentary
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In an electronic mail interplay, Ayushi, at present pursuing her PhD at the University of Miami, says, “In 2022, when the documentary was filmed, it was the second video documentation ever of how they hatch in the wild. The first such shoot happened in Cambodia.”
Asian large softshell turtle
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Special Arrangement
The solely clue that Ayushi, a Zoological Society of London–National Geographic EDGE fellow, had when she reached Kasaragod was a report by a Kerala-based scientist about the turtle being sighted by a fisherman in an estuarine habitat a number of years in the past. “There were hardly any documents available to read about the turtle. So I approached the fishermen who used to get these turtles in their nets as bycatch,” Ayushi says in the documentary.
Once she gained the belief of the folks, she educated them about the turtle and skilled them to launch these caught in their nets. In return, the natives, particularly the fisherfolk, informed her about its nesting websites in order to guard the eggs.
For the turtle
Ayushi, who did her commencement in Zoology, accomplished her Masters in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Pondicherry University. Ayushi says, “My research interests broadly circle around understanding the ecology and conservation of freshwater turtles along with community-led approaches for sustainable management of threatened species. My ongoing work as the Habitats Trust Conservation Hero grantee involves training local community members and forest managers for the long-term protection of species nests and nesting grounds in Kerala. As a PhD student in the Conservation Ecology Lab, my goal is to make policy recommendations and management strategies to reduce threats to freshwater turtle populations and their habitats.”
It was troublesome to review the turtles due to their secretive nature, writes Ayushi in an article. They lie buried in the riverbed ready for the prey. Ayushi notes that their eyes, current on the prime of their head enable them to detect their prey whereas they continue to be hidden. So they’re ‘highly specialised ambush predators with aggressive behaviour, a lightning speed strike and a powerful jaw’.
Asian large softshell turtle
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Ayushi, 29, who hails from Agra, provides that unlawful and examine dams, and intensive unlawful sand mining have posed a risk to their pure habitat, the riverbeds. Ayushi’s work is the first such long run documentation on the turtle.
Bahar, a outstanding identify in the case of reporting a few of the path-breaking environment-related tales, says the documentary was particular on many accounts. “When we were informed that the eggs were about to hatch, we rushed and reached the spot on time to witness the babies come out of the shells. The heartening moment was that the entire community was present when the baby turtles were released into their natural habitat. It was not staged. Everyone wanted to be there and the exhilaration of the community was overwhelming,” says Bahar. She remembers that the documentary had additionally gained a silver award in the Video Spot News/Feature Reporting class in the 2023 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards.
The officers with the Department of Forest, who had been extraordinarily supportive of Ayushi’s work, had been additionally current at the time of releasing the turtles.
Ayushi Jain
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Special Arrangement
Ayushi says, “There are continued efforts in Kasaragod to protect the nests and release the hatchlings into the Chandragiri River, with community and the forest department playing a central role in this initiative. Having established a rapport with the community and developed close relationships with some local families, it was incredibly fulfilling to see my mission of protecting the turtles become a shared goal among the community.”
As a part of her PhD, she is focusing on enhancing the administration of the Bavikkara Dam to stop nest inundation for the species in Kasaragod. “During the first four months of this year, I conducted nesting surveys in Kasaragod and studied dam management to propose strategies for its sustainable operation,” she provides.
Watch the documentary on Roundglass Sustain’s YouTube channel.
Published – May 21, 2025 03:59 pm IST
