About 1,300 Star tortoises were seized from poachers in the past decade
A Star tortoise.
Hyderabad: The poaching of freshwater turtles in Andhra Pradesh is so rampant that they may enter the list of endangered species. Two freshwater turtle species found in AP — the Indian softshell and the Indian flapshell — are poached. The softshell is already listed as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
According to data available with the Wildlife Protection Society of India, nearly 4,500 turtles were seized from poachers in the past 10 years from AP. A former AP forest department official said the figure was much higher.
The turtles are poached from coastal AP districts along the Krishna and Godavari, apart from wetlands fish tanks and paddy fields. The forest official said that most of the turtles are poached for their meat; demand is high in Odisha and West Bengal.
Turtle meat is priced at about Rs 50 a kg. Turtle shells also find place in traditional medicine systems, which is another reason for poaching. Another species subject to rampant poaching is the Star tortoise.
About 1,300 Star tortoises were seized from poachers in the past decade, but this figure is stated to be conservative. Star tortoises are sold as pets in the Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and even in the USA, to where it is smuggled via West Asia. Star tortoises are sold by pets traders for Rs 300 and above.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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