A day after 50 Indian Star Tortoises were ‘repatriated’ from Singapore, they were released into a special anti-predatory enclosure built for them by officials of the Karnataka Forest Department on Tuesday.
A total of 190 tortoises were confiscated by the Singapore authorities, of which 50 were rescued by Wildlife SOS India and ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre, a Singapore-based non-governmental organisation, with the help of the Forest Department and brought back to India.
Karnataka : Bengaluru : 27/11/2018 . Indian star tortoises, which were being illegally sold in Singapore, were brought back to the state. This is the first time illegally trafficked tortoises are being repatriated to their natural habitat.
Speaking about the long process to bring the endangered species back, Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said it took almost 16 months to finally bring the 50 tortoises back to India. “The remaining 140 tortoises are expected to be brought back soon after the formalities are completed,” he said.
The 50 tortoises have been let out in a quarantined area, where they will stay for three months.
“The rescued tortoises will be kept under observation during this period,” he said.
On how these tortoises were smuggled out of the country, the officials said that smugglers would send the tortoises in cargoe with perishable products. They were mainly poached for their meat and exotic status, they said.
Karnataka : Bengaluru : 27/11/2018 . Indian star tortoises, which were being illegally sold in Singapore, were brought back to the state. This is the first time illegally trafficked tortoises are being repatriated to their natural habitat.
“This is the first time such a r escue mission has been carried out. This is an important step towards protection and conservation of vulnerable and endan gered wildlife,” said Mr. Satyanarayan.
