India functions both as a source and a destination point for different species of trafficked reptiles, a new global analysis of wildlife trafficking seizures in air transport said.
"India's involvement in the illegal reptile trade is so significant that recent reports estimate that around 11,000 turtles and tortoises are trafficked through the country each year", says the report released by TRAFFIC, an NGO working globally on trade in wild animals and plants.
The report titled "Runway to Extinction: Wildlife Trafficking in the Air Transport Sector," details how traffickers operating in every populated region of the world, rely on similar trafficking methods and utilise the same vulnerabilities within air transport sector as traffickers of other illicit goods.
The report is produced by C4 ADS as part of the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) Partnership.
According to it, India functions as both a source and a destination point for different species of trafficked reptiles.
Noting that one Indian species in particular, the Indian star tortoise has been in high demand as an exotic pet south east asia, the report said most trafficking instances involving the species smuggled from Chennai in checked-in luggage to Malaysia or Bangkok and usually involved hundreds of hatchling tortoises.
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"For example, in December of 2017, two individuals were detained with 210 Indian star tortoises in their checked-in luggage at Chennai Airport.
The tortoises were hidden within two plastic boxes and beneath chocolates", it said.
In the past few years, however, Indian star tortoise seizures have decreased markedly.
Local news reports suggest this may be because of increased awareness and enforcement activity at common origin airports, which has allegedly forced traffickers to use maritime routes.
"A shipment of star tortoises was discovered in 2017 after being ferried from Rameswaram, India to Sri Lanka," it added.
As Indian star tortoise trafficking by air has declined, red-eared slider trafficking has appeared to increase.
Red-eared slider seizures are often similar to star tortoise seizures; they generally involve many hatchling turtles hidden in checked luggage.
"But red-eared sliders are smuggled in the opposite direction, moving from Thailand, China, and occasionally Malaysia to Chennai (every red-eared slider seizure in the C4ADS Air Seizure Database was discovered in or en route to Chennai Airport)," the report said.
Red-eared slider seizures also generally involve significantly more turtles, usually ranging between 2,000 and 9,000 individuals.
"In one seizure on December 20, 2018, two passengers were stopped by customs officials on arrival at Chennai Airport due to suspicious behavior.
The officials discovered a total of 4,800 red-eared sliders stashed in cartons in their checked luggage.
The suspects had arrived on a Thai Air flight from Bangkok," it said.
Though smuggling of endangered Indian star tortoises may appear to be decreasing, the apparent decline in star tortoise seizures may actually be an indication that effective enforcement in airports has forced traffickers to rely on alternate routes.
Still, seizure data indicates red-eared slider trafficking shows no signs of abating, and continues to pass through South Asian airports relatively frequently.
The report also finds that the traffickers of wildlife and other contraband will occasionally go to great lengths to distance themselves from the illegal goods hidden in their bags.
In March 2016, authorities in Mumbai Airport noticed an abandoned bag left unclaimed for a week.
Upon further inspection, officials discovered 146 critically endangered tortoises (139 radiated tortoises and six ploughshare tortoises, both most endangered) from Madagascar inside.
The tortoises had been wrapped in plastic bags and taped, presumably to prevent them from moving.
Two of the radiated tortoises had died after their shells were broken.
The passenger associated with the bag had traveled onto Nepal leaving it behind.
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