The study reveals that a minimum of 1,11,310 tortoises and freshwater turtles entered the illegal wildlife tra... Read More

NAGPUR: A study conducted by Turtle Survival Alliance India Program (TRAFFIC) draws attention towards illicit poaching and smuggling of testudines (species of marine turtles) in India. The study reveals that a minimum of 1,11,310 tortoises and freshwater turtles entered the illegal wildlife trade in a 10-year period from September 2009 to 2019.

“This equates to more than 11,000 individuals in the illegal wildlife trade every year or at least 200 per week since 2009. Considering that an unknown proportion of illegal wildlife trade presumably goes undetected, the actual numbers could be much higher,” says the study.

Unauthorized extraction from the wild for illegal trade as pets, and for food and medicine, are the main drivers of this trade. The findings were revealed through a fact sheet “Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles Under Siege” that provides an insight into poaching and illegal trade of tortoises and freshwater turtles in India.

Most of the turtles and tortoise species of India are protected under various Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which ban hunting, trade or any other form of utilization of the species or their body parts and derivatives. All turtle and tortoise species from India are also listed under CITES regulating their international trade.

Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal emerged as the two major hotspots in terms of total number of animals seized, accounting for more than 60% of all reported seizures from 19 states and 2 union territories of the country indicating the wide expanse of this illegal trade.

Around 14 Indian species of tortoises and freshwater turtles were found to be traded, of which Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans accounted for 49% of the total identifiable individuals seized, followed by the Indian Softshell Turtle Nilssonia gangetica (26%), Indian Flapshell Turtle Lissemys punctata (15%) and Black spotted or Spotted Pond Turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii (9%).

At the 18th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP 18) held in August this year, Indian Star Tortoise was up-listed to Appendix I from Appendix II owing to its over exploitation.

Dr Shailendra Singh, director, TRAFFIC, says training wildlife law enforcement agencies in identifying the species in trade is crucial to combating its poaching and illegal trade.

Dr Saket Badola, Head of TRAFFIC’s India office and author of the study, said, “Tortoises and freshwater turtles in India are probably the most traded wildlife species in terms of their numbers in illegal trade. It is extremely worrisome to see the scale of the illegal domestic market for these species for the pet trade and for meat consumption. The size of seizures of Indian species within India is indicative of a well-organized network of collectors, transporters and traffickers operating this trade. Immediate action both in terms of law enforcement initiatives as well as awareness about the species concerned is required.”

Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF-India, added, “Turtles and tortoises are mainly scavengers and keep the aquatic ecosystems clean while some species help keep the population of snails and insects in check. It is important that they are conserved in their natural habitat. We hope that this study will highlight the plight of tortoises and freshwater turtles in India and will lead to enhanced awareness and related actions”.

IN A NUTSHELL

As per a study by Turtle Survival Alliance India Program (TRAFFIC), approximately 1,11,310 tortoises and freshwater turtles were traded illegally from September 2009 to 2019

Species are used as pets, for food, and as medicine

Of the species seized from 19 states and 2 UTs, more than 60% were from UP and West Bengal

Turtles and tortoises are natural scavengers and keep aquatic ecosystems clean. Some species help keep a tab on population of snails and insects

At the CITES CoP 18 held in August, Indian Star Tortoise was moved to Appendix I due to over exploitation

