Star tortoise smugglers eye domestic market

The price of tortoises in the local black market has gone up from Rs 200 to Rs 1,200 each, according to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials. Shockingly, most of the smuggling chains are traced to Ramanathapuram and sources told DTNext that the hunters pack them from the district in cardboard boxes and bring them to Chennai by train and buses. The railway police officials found a big box with 150 star tortoises stuffed inside at Chennai Central two days ago.

A Customs official said smugglers employ locals in hunting the tortoises from shrubs, jungles and dry forest areas to escape the police radar. “There has not been a single case of star tortoise hunting registered in the state in recent past, but there is a steady supply of the species to smugglers in Chennai.”

“There are established cartels operating to smuggle star tortoises. The main markets are East Asian countries, where the tortoises are procured for meat and also to be reared as pets. Each tortoise is being sold for Rs 15,000 abroad,” another Customs official said. He said though the agencies manage to intercept some consignments at the airport, the main supply chain has not been exposed so far. 

The law enforcement agencies which seize these animals hand them over to the Forest Department. These tortoises are taken either to Guindy Crocodile Bank or to Arignar Anna Zoological Park. “The health of the smuggled tortoises is generally poor and most of them have injuries due to poor care during transportation,” the official said.