New Delhi, April 18 -- NGO Wildlife SOS rescued a 50kg Indian flapshell turtle from near a polluted water body in east Delhi's Mandoli on Friday.

The NGO said it received a call from a local resident who spotted the turtle struggling near the water body in Harsh Vihar. The resident placed the turtle in a container and alerted the NGO, which sent a team to secure it.

The Indian flapshell turtle is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of threatened species. It is also afforded the highest level of legal protection in India, being listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. NGO officials said its survival is threatened by increasing urbanisation, water pollution and habit...