In a step to protect freshwater wildlife, 240 critically endangered Black Softshell turtle hatchlings were released into the protected wetland, Roumari Beel in Assam's Biswanath district, Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanta Malla Baruah said on Friday.

The release of the turtles, locally known as Bormuria Kaso and once considered extinct in the wild, was part of a collaborative conservation initiative led by the Biswanath Wildlife Division, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve and the Wildlife Survival Alliance Foundation India (WSAFI), Baruah said in a social media post.