The survival of the Indian Star tortoise is being threatened by a booming illegal trade, that causes extreme suffering to tortoises, due to a growing international demand for tortoises as exotic pets, wildlife experts warned.
In the first study to examine this trade in India for over 15 years, researchers from World Animal Protection have established that more than 55,000 tortoises are being poached from just one site in South East India each year alone.
World Animal Protection discovered evidence of a thriving international criminal operation, with tortoises smuggled in boxes hidden under food items such as vegetables or fish. Many don’t survive the long and illegal journey and those who do survive, suffer in confined spaces and may die prematurely from malnutrition, suffocation or the overwhelming stress of confinement.
The study in the scientific journal ‘Nature Conservation’ describes Thailand, one of the primary destinations for the smuggled animals, as a key hub of illegal trade activity. There are also legitimate concerns that poachers have found a legal loophole in facilitating illegal poaching from the wild. For instance, it’s illegal in India to possess and commercially trade star tortoises but not in Thailand[1], which has made them the most frequently seized tortoise recorded by Thai authorities between 2008 and 2013.
Dr Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research at World Animal Protection said:
“We were shocked at the sheer scale of the illegal trade in tortoises and the cruelty inflicted upon them. Over 15 years ago wildlife experts warned that the domestic trade in Indian star tortoises needed to be contained before it could become established as an organised international criminal operation.
“Unfortunately it seems that our worst nightmare has come true - sophisticated criminal gangs are exploiting both impoverished rural communities and urban consumers alike. Neither group is fully aware how their actions are threatening the welfare and conservation of these tortoises.”
The Indian star tortoise is famed for the ‘star-like’ radiating patterns of its shell that serves as camouflage in the wild. However, it is this same patterning that also makes it a popular pet to collectors around the world.
Mr Gajender Sharma, India Director at World Animal Protection added:
“Despite being protected in India since the 1970’s, legal ‘loopholes’ in other Asian countries such as Thailand and China appear to undermine India’s enforcement efforts. They are smuggled out of the country in confined spaces, its clear there is little or no concern about the welfare of these reptiles.
“World Animal Protection is concerned about the suffering that these tortoises endure. We are dealing with an organised international criminal operation which requires an equally organised international approach to combat it”.
To help save Indian star tortoises from extinction and close the loophole, the wildlife experts are calling for better cooperation between national enforcement agencies and for Thailand to prohibit private ownership by extending its domestic legislation to also cover non-native species.
Note to Editors:
- B-roll footage from the research documents tortoises traded from India to Thailand and shows the cruelty involved - available on request.
- For images, download via this link.
- Illegal trade map across South East Asia (Attached)
The study involved a review of trade information in the published literature and review of CITES trade records. The results have been published in the scientific journal ‘Journal of Nature and Conservation’. Insert publication link:
http://natureconservation.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=5625Currently classed as ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened species the Indian star tortoise is restricted to parts of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The actual number of animals left remaining in the wild is unknown and the conservation status of this species is in urgent need of updating. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39430/0.
To safeguard its wild populations, India had chosen to place the Indian star tortoise under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. For over 40 years it has been illegal to possess and commercially trade this species either within or from India.
However, as a non-indigenous species, the India star tortoise is not currently protected under Thailand’s Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act (WARPA). It can be extremely difficult to identify illegally traded wild sourced tortoises, once they have been smuggled into the country.
The study was funded by World Animal Protection (www.worldanimalprotection.org).
- Evidence from the three year operation carried out by the Research Team at World Animal Protection has been passed to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of India and the Royal Thai Police, at a meeting facilitated by ASEAN-WEN Law Enforcement Extension Office, held in New Delhi in August.
[1] star tortoises are not protected under Thailand’s Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act (WARPA)
Photo Caption: Indian Star tortoises are packaged in bags to be smuggled out of India. World Animal Protection has been involved in a report exploring this aspect of the pet trade To View the PDF Click the Link Below: STAR tortoise trade maps 
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