Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 - Residents of a village in Orissa are refusing to release a rare turtle which they have trapped because they believe it as an incarnation of god, official said Tuesday.

Wildlife officials have visited the residents of Khadipala village in the coastal district of Kendrapada, about 150 km from here, a number of times and have tried to convince residents that confinement of an endangered reptile is illegal.

"The villagers are not ready to listen," divisional forest officer Prasanna Kumar Behera told IANS. "They are refusing to release it, saying that the turtle is an incarnation of god," he said.

"We are making several attempts to convince them. If they do not listen to us we may have to take legal action against them under the wildlife conservation act," Behera said.

The turtle was brought Thursday to the village by a local, Ramesh Patra, from a nearby river. It has been kept in a water container at a village temple.

Villagers are lining up every day to get a glimpse of the turtle in the belief that it will bring good fortune.

The villagers are worshipping the turtle because it has marks on its carapace which looks similar to the eyes of Lord Jagannath - the state's presiding deity.

It is an Indian soft shell turtle, one of the most critically endangered species of fresh water turtles in the country, forest officials said.

In Hindu mythology, sea turtles are believed to be an incarnation of god.

The wildlife department wants to bring the turtle to the Nandankanan zoo where it can be conserved. (IANS)