As many as 654 Indian flapshell turtles were recovered from a pond in Bharthana in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district on Wednesday. Out of 654 turtles, 482 turtles were found to be dead and the rest 172 were severely sick.

All the turtle belonged to Lissemys punctata species, which is a protected species under The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.