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Express News Service
NEW DELHI: While some of the Indian tortoises are under threat due to international wildlife trade for their ornamental value, the winter season has seen a spike in their illegal trade in the domestic market for their meat.
The UP police apprehended a person last week and seized about 300 turtles from him in Mainpuri district of the state. “The illegal trafficking of these fresh-water turtles goes up during the winters due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast,” says Jose Louies, deputy director, WildLife Trust.
“The poachers operating in the Gangetic regions of the UP have been running organised syndicates of this illegal market,” said Louies. Talking about the recent seizure, Superintendent of Police, Mainpuri, Kamlesh Dixit said, “The turtles appear to be of a rare kind and we are taking the help of experts to ascertain the exact species.”
ALSO READ | Olive Ridley turtles face trawl net risk in Marakanam
While flap shell turtles are being poached for their meat, black terrapin red-crowned roof turtles are more in demand as pets in India. “The trade of all these turtles are banned under the Wild Life Protection Act so trading them or keeping them as pets is illegal,” Loiues added. Smuggling of star turtles has been high with the species fetching up to 2000 Euros in the international market. The DRI, which has been playing a pivotal role in tackling environmental crimes, has made some significant seizures in recent times.
Illegal trade
The illegal trafficking of fresh-water turtles goes up during the winters due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast. While flap shell turtles are being poached for their meat, black terrapin red-crowned roof turtles are more in demand as pets in India. The most-trafficked tortoise species in the global illegal pet trade is Indian star tortoise due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast. Smuggling of star turtles has been rising steadily, with the species fetching up to 2,000 Euros in sale in the foreign market.
NEW DELHI: While some of the Indian tortoises are under threat due to international wildlife trade for their ornamental value, the winter season has seen a spike in their illegal trade in the domestic market for their meat.
The UP police apprehended a person last week and seized about 300 turtles from him in Mainpuri district of the state. “The illegal trafficking of these fresh-water turtles goes up during the winters due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast,” says Jose Louies, deputy director, WildLife Trust.
“The poachers operating in the Gangetic regions of the UP have been running organised syndicates of this illegal market,” said Louies. Talking about the recent seizure, Superintendent of Police, Mainpuri, Kamlesh Dixit said, “The turtles appear to be of a rare kind and we are taking the help of experts to ascertain the exact species.”
ALSO READ | Olive Ridley turtles face trawl net risk in Marakanam
While flap shell turtles are being poached for their meat, black terrapin red-crowned roof turtles are more in demand as pets in India. “The trade of all these turtles are banned under the Wild Life Protection Act so trading them or keeping them as pets is illegal,” Loiues added. Smuggling of star turtles has been high with the species fetching up to 2000 Euros in the international market. The DRI, which has been playing a pivotal role in tackling environmental crimes, has made some significant seizures in recent times.
Illegal trade
The illegal trafficking of fresh-water turtles goes up during the winters due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast. While flap shell turtles are being poached for their meat, black terrapin red-crowned roof turtles are more in demand as pets in India. The most-trafficked tortoise species in the global illegal pet trade is Indian star tortoise due to high demand of turtle meat in West Bengal and Northeast. Smuggling of star turtles has been rising steadily, with the species fetching up to 2,000 Euros in sale in the foreign market.
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