Following information is based on the respondents who saw the elongated tortoise in the forest.
Majority of the sightings (46.2%) by respondents were from the hilly streams followed by 30.7% in vegetated areas and 23.1% in hilly slopes.
Sighting of tortoises varied significantly among the habitats- bush and shrub, hilly slope, near hilly stream, and dense forest ( χ2= 10.129, df the rest (35.9%) had no idea on the decline.
So, the tortoisepopulation is decreasing rapidly in the area.
It is declining due to habitat destruction (41.0%); capturing and consuming meat/flesh (23.1%) and the rest (35.9%)
do not have any idea on cause of decrease.
Of the respondents, 79.1% tribal people capture and consume the flesh of the tortoise, and the rest (20.9%) have no intension of capturing.