A RESCUE OPERATION THAT WILL HELP KARNATAKA AND SINGAPORE EARN 97 STARS

Here’s a rescue and repatriation mission that should make Sushma Swaraj proud. Wildlife SOS – India, an NGO, is in the process of bringing back 97 Indian star tortoises that were smuggled out of the country via Bengaluru, but were seized in Singapore. For the last six months, the Karnataka and Singapore governments are collaborating to bring home the stranded animals, and Wildlife SOS is anchoring the mission.

The Indian star tortoise is an endangered species that is in high demand in the markets of Singapore, Thailand, China and West Asia where it is sold as Feng Shui and said to bring good luck. It is also illegally traded to make medicinal products.

“They are extremely endangered and, unfortunately, they are in huge demand. They are smuggled out in hundreds in boxes labelled as fresh vegetables, green chillies, and such; and transported either by plane or ship. Sometimes, they’re carried in taped-up check-in baggage. Once in Singapore, they are collected by big traffickers and sold for hundreds of dollars to be kept in houses and gardens as decorations,” explained Kartick Satyanarayan, chairman and founder, Wildlife SOS.

Six months ago…

The rescue mission here started about six months ago when Wildlife SOS got information from a local agency in Singapore about the 105 Indian star tortoises that were seized by the customs department, and placed in quarantine at ACRES, a wildlife rescue centre in Singapore that works to assist authorities combat illegal wildlife trade.
(Of the 105, only 97 were healthy enough to be sent back to India, said sources in the forest department.)

While most smuggled animals don’t get caught, the ones that do – like these Indian star tortoises – are seized by the customs department. This lot was sent out of customs custody in the last eight months. When Wildlife SOS came to know about it, it reached out to ACRES in Singapore.

“In Singapore, if a seized animal is not indigenous and cannot be released, it is culled. This is because it can neither be kept in a zoo, nor can it be used within or sent back. We were worried about these tortoises; we can’t let go of animals from our country that are so endangered,” said Satyanarayan.

Without further delay, Satyanarayan and the NGO co-founder Geeta Seshamani met authorities at ACRES. Turned out that Singapore authorities were happy to cooperate and help out with the repatriation. But they needed permission from the Indian authorities.

Wildlife SOS team then moved the documents to the Chief Wildlife Warden’s office at the Karnataka forest department and things are moving forward rapidly.

Source: http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story/a-rescue-operation-that-will-help-karnataka-and-singapore-earn-97-stars/articleshow/59076423.cms