Mumbai: After finishing his paperwork on Sunday night, 47-year-old Sudhir Kudalkar, currently serving as the in-charge of the MHB Colony police station, Dahisar, was ready to call it a day. However, a phone call at the police control room about the discovery of a 120-year-old Indian black turtle, caught his attention.
Going beyond the call of duty, Kudalkar then rushed to the rescue of the reptile, which was struggling to get out of a drain, with a thick layer of wild weed. It was Santosh Matlani and his sister Sapna, members of the police Mitra Mandal of the North region of the city, who spotted the turtle, and called the police control room.
“We were passing by the subway at night when we noticed the struggling turtle and contacted the cops. We are avid animal lovers, and keep an eye on open drains, as several times, injured dogs, especially those, run over by vehicles, take shelter in such places,” said Santosh Matlani, who resides in Dahisar.
When Kudalkar reached the spot, there was low visibility, however, Matlanis helped him spot the reptile with the help of a torch. “It was a small creature who seemed frightened,” said Kudalkar, who entered the knee-deep muddy water and picked up the turtle that had retracted in its shell.
Kudalkar then placed it in a box and asked Matlanis to take the turtle home for a few hours, until he could contact the forest officials and hand it over to them.
On Monday morning, Kudalkar called the forest officials to figure out the best way to release the turtle back to its natural habitat. Forest officer, M Rajbhar, informed him that the turtle was between 120 to 130 years old and usually, its species —the Indian black turtle — is sold in the illicit market for ₹3 lakh.
“These turtles are also used in black magic and are sold at a high rate,” informed Kudalkar, who then handed the turtle to the forest officers.
“During the lockdown, I started rescuing animals, as I saw several neglected ones on the streets,” said Kudalkar, who has since saved about 2,000 animals, including 16 blind dogs. He admitted them to a shelter, where they are being taken care of. Kudalkar, has since launched an organisation, PAL (Pure Animal Lovers), which rescues and treats animals in distress. “We try to save as many lives as possible. I want to put a stop to animal cruelty,” said Kudalkar.