The Indian star tortoise, or ‘nakshatra tabelu’, is one of India’s remaining reptilian crown jewels. Owing to the illegal wildlife trade, long generation time and habitat loss, there has been a sharp decline in its numbers. Its adaptability, size, lifespan and reputation for being a lucky charm make this tortoise highly sought after in wealthy homes everywhere, especially in South East Asia, Europe and USA. However, its endemicity has led overseas markets to find other means to find and sell the star tortoise. Unfortunately, even turtles are regularly traded illegally for their meat.
The History of the Tortoise Trade
With its black and yellow starry hardened carapace, this tortoise has been in high demand around the globe since the ‘70s. During the 1990s, 15000 tortoises used to be sold annually at Calcutta’s New Market. People were free to trade commercially but no export permits were issued by India, Sri Lanka or Pakistan despite large numbers being smuggled. By the mid-2000s, 20000 star-tortoises had been traded per year and by the end of the decade, Tamil Nadu had named itself the dominant trade hub, contributing to 20,500 seized tortoises.
Between 2008-2013, Thailand’s major illegal chelonian export was the star tortoise with over 15 cases and 5966 tortoises seized and reported. 23% of all confiscated animals were star tortoises between the years 2011-2015. 2015-2017 saw the rise of Sri Lanka as a trading hub with 3130 smuggled tortoises to brag with. Reports had revealed that 2017 alone showed the requisition of 6040 tortoises from India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. 2017 also had a major case in the Singapore Airport, where 51 tortoises were smuggled from Karnataka and had to be brought back through ventilated crates.
Where does the trade occur?
Traffickers employ villagers who live near the scrub lands, grasslands and coastal forests of Chitoor (Andhra Pradesh), Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to poach about 100 to 150 tortoises a week. The collectors make sure to collect them during the monsoon which coincides with their nesting season; a time when their movements are minimal and they cannot be detected as easily when packed.
The middleman then sends them over to the traffickers who tape and pack them in cartons, suitcases, boxes and sacks or cargo and ship them over to another country by air travel or express mail. A single trade hub in India can poach over 55,000 star tortoises a year. After the increase in security around reptile searches in airports, sea routes have been preferred. Trade hubs transport their collection to Tamil Nadu which then sends out a ferry to countries like Sri Lanka.
The odds of their survival in this condition are only 1 in 3. They can end up being afflicted with respiratory infections, dehydration, malnourishment and structural deformities. The tight packaging stops them from moving their heads and limbs and can often crack their shells or destroy their reproducibility. Without the UV rays of sunlight, the tortoise is unable to absorb calcium. As a result they eventually succumb to Metabolic Bone Disease.
How is the Indian Star Tortoise protected legally?
The Indian Star Tortoise was placed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Appendix II of CITES, a low priority rating. This meant that the perpetrator could face up to six months imprisonment and a fine. In 2019, with the categorisation of the tortoise as “vulnerable”, the Indian Star Tortoise was moved to Appendix I. Henceforth, its trade were officially banned. Despite this, 1231 arrests were made in 2020, with a total of 3500 tortoises across 24 incidents between 2020 to 2021.
Like with most reptile trading, the disappearance of star tortoises has gone unchecked for the most part. Though the Indian Star Tortoise is the most smuggled Testudines in the world, there are still not enough measures to protect it. Acts like WPA and CITES still placed it under a low-priority list for over forty years.
Conclusion
This remarkable species continues to suffer from our actions and our failure to protect them. In spite of our persisting loss, we haven’t come up with proper measures to safeguard and ensure their longevity. If this were to continue, the Indian Star Tortoise will no longer be India’s.
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Written by: Fatima Safeer
References:
- Pictures from wikipedia for Indian Star Tortoise
- https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/story-of-star-tortoises-soft-target-smuggled-saved-764679.html
- https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=5625
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/why-smugglers-are-after-star-tortoises/articleshow/60303178.cms
- https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/nature/pet-trade-driving-disappearance-indian-star-tortoise/
- https://www.worldanimalprotection.nl/sites/default/files/media/nl_files/dieren_in_het_wild/indian_star_tortoise_report_final_eng.pdf
- https://science.thewire.in/environment/indian-star-tortoises-are-slowly-and-steadily-losing-the-race-for-survival/
- https://science.thewire.in/environment/star-tortoises-cites-jordan/