The first captive specimens lived entirely upon vegetable food, but subsequently it has turned out that this turtle is omnivorous, eating any suitably sized plant and animal food. The Cochin forest cane turtle is listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3) by the IUCN and is listed in CITES Appendix II. It is rarely found in the pet trade. The Kadar tribe people occasionally hunt the turtles for bush meat. Additional threats are posed by deforestation and planned hydroelectric projects. The turtles have a patchy distribution range but where they occur they can be found in relatively high densities. Still, this turtle is considered to be a rare species.