CHENNAI: The infamous ‘Ninja Turtle Gang,’ based mostly in Malaysia, is fueling a surge in unlawful smuggling of dwell star tortoises from Chennai to Southeast Asian locations.
In line with an alert issued late August by the Wildlife Crime Management Bureau (WCCB-Southern Area), there’s a potential enhance in trafficking attributable to rising demand in international locations akin to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Bureau raised the alarm after 4 instances of unlawful export and one seizure inside India have been reported final month. M Kirupasankar, deputy director of WCCB (southern area), mentioned alerts have been circulated to state wildlife authorities, police, customs, airport officers and railway personnel, highlighting the smuggling community’s modus operandi, which includes native assortment, transportation, packaging and worldwide trafficking of tortoises.
Deepak Nambiar, founding father of Elephas Maximus Indicus Belief, mentioned star tortoise smuggling continues to thrive regardless of the species being upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019, which prohibits its worldwide commerce.
He attributed this rise to a lack of awareness on the supply factors of assortment inside India. Star tortoises are extremely adaptable, tolerating each dry and moist environments, making them simple to smuggle in closed circumstances akin to containers and trolley baggage.
“There are quite a few supply companions throughout the nation, together with courier corporations, movers and unlawful web sites, offering on the spot entry to star tortoises and different unique pets,” Nambiar mentioned.
He additionally mentioned stricter monitoring of assortment sources and elevated public consciousness towards preserving tortoises as pets are essential to curbing this unlawful commerce.
