A rare black soft shell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) was rescued by the Senior Manager of Baghjan Tea Estate along with his team of executives, from a dried up pond in the tea estate when some persons were taking it away to eat. The Senior Manager, Anand Wats, in association with his executives SA Chowdhury, S Tirkey and JS Sindhu later released the animal in a secluded spot of the Danguri river in front of Dibru Saikia National Park. The turtle is a highly endangered species. It had a carapace of about 19 inches long and weighed 6.5 kg and during its captivity. It feeds on crabs, earth worms and small fish. In the wild, these turtles grow upto about 90 cm. In their wild habitat of large rivers and wetlands, they hunt by burying themselves in the sand and seizing their prey as they come across. These turtles need to be handled with care as they can inflict severe and painful bites. When contacted for information about the turtle, noted herpetologist and assistant professor of the Department of Zoology at Digboi College, Rajib Rudra Tariang, said that they lay cluster of eggs and bury them in the sand but not much is known about this rare species of turtle. “As a nature lover, I am really happy that such a rare turtle was saved and subsequently released in its original habitat,” he said.