Over 2200 endangered tortoises rescued from Thailand-bound cargo at Chennai airport

Chennai: Over 2200 living Indian Star tortoises, which are an endangered species, were rescued from Thailand-bound cargo at Chennai airport on Tuesday (August 17).

The Air Cargo Customs officials intercepted the consignment which was supposed to contain 250 kg of mud crab. However, upon examination, the officials found that ten of the total fifteen packages contained Indian Star tortoises.

“Based on intelligence, Air Cargo Customs officials in the city intercepted and export consignment that was destined for Thailand.  A total of 2,247 tortoises were handed over to the Tamil Nadu Forest department for rehabilitation,” the customs department said in a statement.

As per the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), these tortoises are an endangered species and are covered under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act,  1972.

Found in scrub jungles across many states in India, these tortoises end up in East Asian countries as exotic pets, delicacies in restaurants. They are used for making traditional medicine and sometimes kept at homes as lucky charms.

While the local villagers in India catch them for a petty sum, they are smuggled out and sold at a hefty price abroad.