বাংলায় পড়ুন
The administration of Cooch Behar has sought permission from the State Election Commission for using the black soft shell turtle as the mascot for election in the district. This initiative is being taken in order to spread awareness of this endangered species of turtle. This black soft shell turtle is found only in West Bengal and specifically in ponds of Baneswar temple. Kaushik Saha, the District Magistrate of Cooch Behar has himself written to the Election Commission, he said,
The idea is to spread awareness of this rare species of turtles in order to save them from being extinct.
Once the Election Commission approves it, the black soft shell turtle will officially be declared as the election mascot. The black soft shell turtle was labelled extinct by International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2002, this species is critically endangered and falls under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. Even during the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the Red Panda was chosen as the election mascot for Darjeeling in order to spread awareness about the endangered Himalayan species.
