In one raid, Bidhanagar police arrested three people and confiscated 70 sacks of Indian flapshell turtles, Lissemys Punctata, and star tortoises from a truck coming from Uttar Pradesh. Freshwater turtles from Uttar Pradesh are in high demand as food in Bengal, and are also smuggled across the border. Star tortoises, trafficked in the exotic pet trade, are also in high demand.
According to Rajesh Cahuhan, a wildlife conservationist from Uttar Pradesh, “turtles are of huge demand in Thailand and Malaysia where they are used in soups." A senior forest official said, “West Bengal is a transit route for the illegal wildlife trade because the state has a huge, porous border and wildlife can be smuggled beyond the border to countries like Bangladesh, Thailand, southeastern China, and the Gulf. In the past month, we have seized birds like the Hill Maina, geckos, turtles, and the meat and skins of different animals like tiger, bison, and buffalo."
Source: Times of India.
