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NEW KERALA (India) 20 September 05 Chennai customs officials seize 350 endangered star tortoises worth Rs 3.5 lakh
Chennai: Forest Range officials of Velachery recently seized 350 star tortoises, worth as much as 3.5 lacs rupees from Edapalayam, near Sholavram.
Velachery Forest Range Officer Sathyamurthy said that the tortoises were hidden in a bushy area near an old airstrip here.
Officials said that they had received information about this hide-out around two days back, following which they kept surveillance over the area.
They said that though Chief Wildlife Warden KSSVP Reddy had the entire area under observation, they did not catch the culprits then and there but nabbed them after two days.
“We could not catch the culprits though we waited for two days. So we decided to seize the tortoises at the airport. We will investigate the case further and nab the people involved. The tortoises were later produced before Ponneri Magistrate Court and we will hand them over to the Guindy Children’s Park tomorrow,” said Sathyamurthy, adding that the arrested persons will be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Officials said that they seized the consignment at the airport while Sridharan Chokalingam, a Malaysian citizen was trying to smuggle it out in a bag.
Sathyamurthy said that star tortoises might have been shifted from some breeding centres to be kept in this unsuspected spot. He said the hide-out chosen by the tortoise traders, headed by Chokalingam, was an isolated, bushy area near an abandoned airstrip which was constructed during World War II.
“They would have thought of shifting the tortoises to some other place. Since we tightened our surveillance against the smuggling of these animals, the people involved in the trade are finding it difficult to keep their business going. They used to have some breeding points for the tortoise for commercial purposes,” Sathyamurthy said.
He further said that all the tortoises were adult and would have fetch 1000 rupees apiece in the international market.
“All the seized ones were adult tortoises, and would fetch about Rs 1000/- each, as they are being used for consumption as well as being brought as pets,” he added.
Chennai customs officials seize 350 endangered star tortoises

Interesting bit of news, Thanks for sharing!

Makes you wonder if any would have made it to the US.

Fortunately, it is fairly easy to distinguish between CB and WC stars, IF they were adults when caught.

The sad thing is that even if some were to have escaped food markets into the pet trade, they would not survive very long in captivity, even under the right care.

This story is a good reminder of how important domestic breeding programs with current established and CB populations are. And how important it is to be conscientious when considering a purchase.