Overview

• A six-month quarantine and comprehensive veterinary screenings preceded the soft release to ensure the tortoises’ health
• State forest officials conducted a multi-site habitat suitability survey before selecting the Zeliang Community Reserve for the pilot
• The tortoises spent their initial acclimation in a pre-constructed soft-release enclosure to build familiarity before full forest dispersal
• Local youths enlisted as ‘tortoise guardians’ will patrol the reserve and record behavioral data in collaboration with forest authorities
• Each tortoise is fitted with a VHF telemetry tag to track survival and movement patterns that will inform future release phases