NEW DELHI: More than 1,800 illegally traded Indian Star Tortoises have been flown from Singapore to India to be reintroduced into their natural habitat after two major seizures by Singapore CITES officials.The 42 crates housing these tortoises were flown to Chennai last evening, courtesy of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), from where they are to be taken to the Hyderabad Zoo Rescue Centre. There were no casualties during the flight.

The tortoises had been confiscated from Indian nationals in Singapore in July, according to Ms Lye Fong Keng, Wildlife Regulatory Branch, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, CITES Management Authority of Singapore. Prior to their flight to India, the tortoises were cared for by the Singapore Zoo, under the supervision of Ms Theng Hui Hwen.

Singapore authorities got in touch with the Indian government, which agreed to repatriation of the tortoises. However, neither the Singapore Zoological Gardens nor the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests were able to furnish the funds needed for this repatriation. The lucky break for the tortoises came when IFAW decided to provide the necessary assistance in collaboration with WTI.

“It was due to the intervention of Sally Walker of the Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) that such a repatriation involving the governments and NGOs of two countries could take place. We hope these tortoises, which are small babies, will be able to go back to the wild,” Vivek Menon, WTI Executive Director, said.

The entire repatriation process has been coordinated by Ms Walker of Coimbatore-based Zoo Outreach Organisation. Dr B C Chowdhury of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who is also the chair of the IUCN Turtles Specialist Group, will supervise both the reintroduction of these tortoises into the wild as well as their upkeep in Hyderabad. Dr Chowdhury and Dr Anand Ramnathan of WTI were present at the airport to supervise the operations.

“This is an excellent example of how national CITES authorities and the international NGO community can work together to successfully combat the burgeoning illegal trade of wildlife,” said IFAW President, Fred O’Regan. “IFAW is excited to have been able to play a role in returning these Indian Star Tortoises to their native habitat.”

The tortoises will be relocated to Hyderabad Zoo Rescue Centre which is one of the best equipped rescue centres to deal with permanently displaced animals like these confiscated tortoises, which were cared for in Singapore Zoo under the supervision of Ms Theng Hui Hwen. The tortoises will be tested by officials of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology, the only institution in India that has taken up DNA studies in wildlife, to ascertain their geographical origins. The tortoises will then be released into the wild accordingly.

The Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is mainly found in northwest and southeast India. The species is deemed “vulnerable” by IUCN and falls in Appendix II of the Convention against International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). According to the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, star tortoises fall in Schedule IV which grants them the least level of protection.