Indian star tortoises are illegal to sell internationally but they are still being shipped throughout Asia.
Wild Indian star tortoises, like this one photographed in northern India, are popular pets throughout Asia. The demand is fueled partly by beliefs that the animal brings good luck.
Yet the exotic pet trade in these animals has continued and perhaps even grown in recent years, according to Sridhar. To avoid being caught, Mr. X explained, it’d be best for the animals to be driven through Myanmar. “My team and I have conducted undercover operations in both Indian and Bangkok pet markets to see Indian star tortoises being sold for quite a high price,” she says. There’s increasing interest in the species, and animals with more yellow in their shells fetch higher prices, she says.
It’s possible to captive-breed this species, Shepherd says, and pet owners in the United States and Canada can more readily acquire captive-bred Indian star tortoises than wild ones. But in Asia, it’s still cheapest and easiest to obtain Indian stars taken from their natural habitats.India remains the primary source of the species, according to D’Cruze.
Seized animals are rarely returned to the wild, and many die in transit, Shepherd says. To help the species, D’Cruze and Shepherd both say that transit and destination countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, should enact new laws to better protect the animals and prevent the exploitation of the legal loopholes which are undermining efforts to conserve this species.
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