Kolkata: The 10,000 turtles seized at Kolkata airport on Thursday suggest that the city is a transit hub in the worldwide smuggling of exotic wildlife species as pets.
The walnut-sized baby turtles were identified as exotic red-eared sliders, native to South America, central, southern and western USA and Mexico. Each of them would have sold for Rs 500 in India, which means the consignment was worth at least Rs 50 lakh, said additional principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas.
There is a huge demand for these small turtles in South Indian households and also Pune and Mumbai, said state wildlife advisory board member Dipak Mitra.
Smugglers find it legally convenient to deal with such species since they are not protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, said Shailendra Singh of Turtle Survival Alliance , a sister organization of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
20/07/13 Krishnendu Mukherjee/times of India
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The walnut-sized baby turtles were identified as exotic red-eared sliders, native to South America, central, southern and western USA and Mexico. Each of them would have sold for Rs 500 in India, which means the consignment was worth at least Rs 50 lakh, said additional principal chief conservator of forests, Pradeep Vyas.
There is a huge demand for these small turtles in South Indian households and also Pune and Mumbai, said state wildlife advisory board member Dipak Mitra.
Smugglers find it legally convenient to deal with such species since they are not protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, said Shailendra Singh of Turtle Survival Alliance , a sister organization of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
20/07/13 Krishnendu Mukherjee/times of India
