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Smuggled tortoises seized on Bangladesh border

KOLKATA: Border Security Force (BSF) jawans seized a consignment of 670 tortoises at the Kalandi border post in the Sundarbans in the early hours of Friday. The reptiles were being smuggled across the border into Bangladesh.

“The guards on duty spotted a group trying to cross the river that demarcates the border, but they managed to escape,” said Vikas Chandra, DIG (South) of the BSF Border Security Force.

They left behind about 15 sacks. Of the tortoises seized, more than 500 were Indian Star tortoises commonly found in South India, said S.B. Mondal, the State’s principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife).

Officials of the forest department are still trying to identify the remaining 150 tortoises.

“A number of people keep these tortoises as pets, which is why they are poached even though they don’t fetch very high prices.”

This species is distinct for the pattern of yellow lines resembling stars on its green carapace.

The carapace is highly convex, which is believed to help it return to its natural stance if overturned.

Illegal trade in these tortoises is rampant though they are commonly bred in captivity.

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