Singapore: Nick, Surya and Takeshi are illegal immigrants who will be put on a plane home on Monday (Nov 26). They have resided in Singapore for years and will now be sent back to their own country for good - on a Singapore Airlines flight, no less.
But why the VIP treatment?
Nick and his friends are three of 51 Indian star tortoises found to have been illegally trafficked here.
This is the largest number of Indian star tortoises - coveted for their star-patterned shells - to be repatriated from Singapore.
Their striking, intricate appearances make them an easy target for poachers, who are often part of organised crime rings that profit from animal trafficking.
The lucky few saved by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) are just a fraction of the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 taken from the wild to meet the international demand for exotic pets.
Acres has cared for the tortoises for more than eight years at its premises in Jalan Lekar in western Singapore.
The organisation has spared no expense to provide varied and tailored diets for the tortoises, along with intensive veterinary care and healthy environmental conditions to keep them fit for travel.
Partner organisation Wildlife SOS India will meet the creatures after their 4½ hour flight to Bangalore, India.
They will then be quarantined, monitored, tagged with transmitters and released into a protected reserve in Karnataka state.
26/11/18 Cheryl Teh/StraitsTimes
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But why the VIP treatment?
Nick and his friends are three of 51 Indian star tortoises found to have been illegally trafficked here.
This is the largest number of Indian star tortoises - coveted for their star-patterned shells - to be repatriated from Singapore.
Their striking, intricate appearances make them an easy target for poachers, who are often part of organised crime rings that profit from animal trafficking.
The lucky few saved by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) are just a fraction of the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 taken from the wild to meet the international demand for exotic pets.
Acres has cared for the tortoises for more than eight years at its premises in Jalan Lekar in western Singapore.
The organisation has spared no expense to provide varied and tailored diets for the tortoises, along with intensive veterinary care and healthy environmental conditions to keep them fit for travel.
Partner organisation Wildlife SOS India will meet the creatures after their 4½ hour flight to Bangalore, India.
They will then be quarantined, monitored, tagged with transmitters and released into a protected reserve in Karnataka state.
26/11/18 Cheryl Teh/StraitsTimes
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