As part of the Turtle Rehabilitation Project (TRP), 340 Indian star tortoises were released into the wild in the Rajura reserve forest within the Central Chanda Forest Division. This significant step is a joint initiative by the Maharashtra Forest Department and RESQ Charitable Trust and follows one of the most extensive organised releases of this species in the state. The effort builds on months of intensive rehabilitation that began in late 2024.

With this release, the reserve forests of Chandrapur have become a refuge for tortoises rescued from illegal wildlife trades. The TRP was launched to counter the growing challenge of illegal trafficking and captivity of turtles and tortoises. Since its inception, 441 Indian star tortoises have entered the programme, many arriving in extremely poor health. Roughly 80 per cent of them have survived, and those now released have successfully completed all stages of treatment, quarantine, and environmental conditioning.