An animal rights body today claimed that the trade of turtles has increased "exponentially" in recent years and asked people not to buy these reptiles or products made from their body parts.
Ahead of World Turtle Day on May 23, Humane Society International (HSI) India said, "Pet markets and aquarium shops keep turtles and tortoises in extremely cruel conditions. Often, the tanks are overcrowded and full of dirty water. Customers are allowed to freely touch these animals and this poses a tremendous health risk to humans and causes severe stress to the animals".
N G Jayasimha, managing director for HSI, India said life expectancy of these naturally long-lived animals is tremendously cut-short in captivity as they are bought by people who either cannot care for them adequately or abandon them in local water bodies.
"This further threatens local ecosystems and can have a devastating, ripple effect on other local species. We urge consumers to consider these facts and pledge to stop buying these animals or any products which are made from any parts of these animals," he said.
Turtles are further threatened by the huge international demand for their meat and for centuries, hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) were killed for their beautiful mottled shells, which were used to make jewelry, decorative combs and hairpins, cutlery, and statuettes, the body said.
HSI claimed that its work since the past five years with Action for Protection of Wild Animal (APOWA), a local organisation in Odisha, has ensured that till date 2,05,722 hatchlings were successfully released to the sea.
