Is Chennai emerging as hub for smuggling of endangered species trade?

Chennai:

Is Chennai emerging as a hub for illegal international trade of black pond turtles with the seizure of 32 black turtles accidentally by the police while on a routine check during the elections?



The animals, which are critically-endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), were recovered from two men who smuggled it all the way from Bhopal.



“The duo identified as Mohammed Faizon Khan and Mohad Zameer from Bhopal, who were acting as couriers, were detained near Wall Tax Road and the turtles were recovered from them. They have been handed over to the police,” said exan official of Static Surveillance team on Election Commission duty.


According to Flower bazaar police, the personnel of the Static Surveillance team on Election Commission duty intercepted the auto rickshaw, stumbling on the turtles. The turtles along with the duo were handed over to the forest officials.



Dawn Williams, general manager of Blue Cross of India, has expressed concern over Chennai being used as hub to smuggle endangered species. Interestingly, the modus operandi of the smugglers is unknown



Williams said the duo were planning to ship it to Singapore for sales.



The black pond turtle, is found in the rivers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is regarded as one of the most attractive turtles because of its spotted skin and boldly patterned shell. They can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.



Talking to Express, Former director of Zoological Survey of India K Venkatraman said that black pond tutrles play a key role in the ecosystem and they are currently dwindling. He said earlier the smugglers used to take Bangladesh route but now it has been sealed.



Venkatraman, who is currently senior scientific consultant of National Centre for Sustainable Management Anna University, mooted the idea of turtle ranching to protect the dwindling species of turtles.



Interestingly, 17 of the 25 most critically endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles on the IUCN's Red List are in Asia.



The illegal turtle trade has escalated with more than 1960 animals seized in 22 incidents between January 2008 and March 2014 alone, as per figures released by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.



Seizure data indicate that shipments of the turtles from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan transit through South-east Asian hubs such as Bangkok, Thailand and are destined for East Asia, in particular Hong Kong.



International smuggling occurs predominantly by passengers using commercial airlines concealing animals in their baggage.