Smuggled star tortoises seized

The Border Security Force has seized 360 Indian star tortoises, which were being smuggled out of the country to Bangladesh.

The tortoise, Geochelone elegans , is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (as amended), which bans its possession and transfer in any form for commercial use. The tortoises were recovered by BSF from Gunrajpur police station area of North 24 Pargans district bordering Bangladesh.

“The preferable habitat of the tortoise is not the area where it was found. It is usually found in south India. The beautiful tortoise has radial yellow stripes emanating from the centre of its shell,” Arunangshu Panda, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), North 24 Parganas, told

The Hindu on Monday. The tortoises were seized on Sunday by the 40 battalion of the BSF and they have been handed to the State Forest department. The Forest department will release them in a habitat where they can thrive, the DFO said.

The BSF seized the tortoises when they intercepted a person carrying two small haversacks and going towards Bangladesh. “On being challenged by the BSF, the person dropped the haversacks and jumped into river Ichhamati which works as International Boundary also,” a BSF official said.