Hong Kong Officials ask Pakistan to Receive 751 smuggled turtles - Herp Digest

by Faiza Ilyaa - Karachi-Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2015 

The Hong Kong authorities have recently approached Pakistani officials with a request to receive a consignment of 751 black pond turtles that were being smuggled into their territory over a month ago, it emerged on Sunday.

According to sources, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) management authorities of Hong Kong had contacted their Pakistani counterparts last month and informed them about the seizure of 751 black pond turtles (Geoclemys hamiltonii).

The freshwater species consignment with an international protected status, the sources said, was concealed in a fishing vessel sailing in the Hong Kong waters in February this year.

Although the Hong Kong officials haven’t yet confirmed the origin of turtles and the case is still under investigation, a request was sent to the CITES management authorities of Pakistan to consider receiving and releasing these turtles into the wild since Hong Kong is not the range state of these turtle and the species might be smuggled out of Pakistan.

The Hong Kong officials that also offered to bear the delivery cost, sources said, had asked Pakistani counterparts to provide information on turtle smuggling in their region.

According to sources, Pakistani officials had informed the Hong Kong officials about the Hongda Trading Company that was involved in a recent turtle smuggling case reported at Karachi port. The company had previously sent three shipments to Hong Kong in the cover of a certificate declaring these turtles as fish maw.

The Hong Kong authorities, sources, said, were investigating the company’s links in their territory. In the meantime, the federal officials had asked the Sindh wildlife department for their opinion over the matter.

Majority of the officials in Sindh, the sources pointed out, were in favour of receiving the turtles from Hong Kong considering the depleting population of freshwater turtles in the province and its subsequent impact on ecology.

“Yes, the issue is being debated and soon a decision will be taken,” confirmed the Sindh wildlife conservator, adding that if the Sindh government decided to take and release the turtles into the wild, all the required scientific protocols would be met.

It is noteworthy that a Hong-Kong bound consignment of dried body parts of over 4,000 freshwater turtles was confiscated at the Karachi port last month. It was officially declared as the largest seizure involving turtles in the country’s history.

The body parts were identified as those of Indian narrow-headed softshell turtles, a critically endangered and protected reptile in the country.

Last September, over 200 black pond turtles were confiscated at the Karachi airport.

The species were found in the luggage of a man who had arrived from Lahore. Forty-five turtles died due to suffocation and injuries they suffered during travel while over 170 turtles that survived were later released into the Haleji Lake.

The same month, another batch of 200 smuggled black pond turtles was released into the Indus River (in the Kalar block) near the Rohri forest. They were smuggled out of Sindh and confiscated in Taxkorgan, China. The turtles were handed over to Pakistani officials in a ceremony held at Khunjrab Pass on the Pakistan-China border.

Eight different species of freshwater turtles are found in Pakistan — five of them are globally threatened species — namely Indian soft-shell turtle, Indian peacock soft-shell turtle, Indian narrow-headed soft-shell turtle, Indian flap-shell turtle, black pond turtle, Indian roofed turtle, brown roofed turtle and crowned river turtle.

All these species are listed in the CITES Appendices I & II that means their import and export without a legal permit is prohibited. These turtles are found in the entire Indus River system. The range states of the black pond turtle include southern Pakistan (Indus and Ganges River drainages), northeastern India (Assam), and Bangladesh.

The Sindh government last year declared all freshwater turtle/tortoise species found in Pakistan as protected and included them in the Schedule II of the Sindh Wildlife Ordinance 1972. Rules were also framed to impose heavy penalties on turtle poachers and smugglers.

The information gathered from the internet shows that illegal turtle trade is thriving in the region. Last year, 88 black pond turtles destined for Bangkok were seized at the Chennai airport and 230 endangered Hamilton turtles which were smuggled from India were seized at the Bangkok airport.

Postal strike ends boxed lizards’ lives - Herp Digest

Durban-January 24 2015 - By Arthi Sanpath The Independent on Saturday

Stuffed into a tiny box crammed with sweets and toys, six spiny rock and green crocodile lizards were smuggled from Mexico to South Africa.

But this became their final resting place as five died, lying in the box for nearly four months when the postal service went on strike.

Only one survived the journey in the box, which had no ventilation, and the wait in the rooms of the mail centre, but was put down after its rescue by the National Council of SPCAs.

“It was incredibly sad,” said its Wildlife Protection Unit’s Arno de Klerk.

The illegal trade in wild animals was prevalent across the whole country, he said.

NSPCA inspectors had been called to the Expedited Mail Services international mail centre at OR Tambo International Airport, in Joburg, by a customs official after a rotten smell was noted coming from a package lying among piles of undelivered mail.

“On inspection, five dead and decomposing rock and green crocodile lizards were found, as well as a dehydrated lizard hanging on to life. The lizard was humanely euthanased to prevent further suffering,” said De Klerk.

The lizards had been posted to an address in Joburg from Mexico and the live animals were packed among sweets and toys. De Klerk said no provision had been made for the welfare of the animals.

“It is believed that, as a result of the strike, the box had been lying at the mail centre for four months before discovery.”

The recipient was tracked down by the NSPCA and SAPS and faces cruelty charges.

“We are shocked that so little regard was paid to these suffering animals that were treated as commodities.

“NSPCA inspectors remain vigilant to the on-going illegal trade in wild animals and we will take a hard line against perpetrators of cruelty, wherever this is encountered. This cruelty has to stop.”

He said it was not illegal to import them. “You are allowed to import animals if you have all the proper paperwork in place and do so in the proper manner.

This incident is considered illegal smuggling because animals are not allowed to be transported via the postal service, and there was no paperwork attached or submitted.

There was no provision made for them.”

More than 2300 turtles seized at Jakarta international airport-Friday, January 23, 2015 at 2:02-(UPDATE: Just days after more than 2,350 Pig-nosed Turtles were seized in Jakarta, another 5,284 have been seized in Bali. - HERP DIGEST

The turtles were seized on 22nd January 2015 at the Ngurah Rai airport by the Fish Quarantine (BKIPM) and the Ngurah Rai airport sub-district police force.  The turtles, crammed in checked-in bags and boxes, arrived on a flight from Mozes Kilangin airport in Timika, Papua.  The investigation is now being handled by the police in Timika and Ngurah Rai and three passengers were detained for questioning.  TRAFFIC congratulates the authorities for intercepting these illicit shipments.  “Given what we know about the seasonality of the illegal harvest and trade in this species, it is highly likely that more such attempts will be made in the near future”, says Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Regional Director of TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia. “We strongly encourage the authorities to punish offenders to the full extent of the law, to deter further smuggling of this threatened species.”)

TRAFFIC in Enforcement, Herpetological, In Asia

 Authorities in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport have foiled a bid to smuggle an astonishing 2,350 Pig-nosed Turtles out of Indonesia this week, highlighting the continuing pressure on a species sought after for its rarity and exotic looks.

The turtles, found only on the island of Papua (shared between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) and Australia, were packaged in boxes falsely labelled as mangrove crabs and were bound for Shang Hai, China, via Singapore, where they would have been sold as pets or, in some cases, for consumption.

The seizure, made on 17th January by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries via the Fish Quarantine Inspection Agency, is not the first of its kind.  In January 2014, Indonesian officials seized more than 8,000 baby Pig-nosed Turtles hidden in suitcases suspected to be destined for Singapore and China.  Shortly after that, on 12th January 2014, authorities in Hong Kong intercepted a shipment of some 2,700 Pig-nosed Turtles coming from Jakarta, Indonesia, falsely declared as live tropical fish. 

Pig-nosed Turtles are totally protected by Indonesia’s national legislation, and are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“Pig-nosed Turtles are being absolutely hammered for the lucrative, but illegal pet trade” said Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Regional Director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia.  “It is highly unlikely this species can withstand such enormous offtake.”

TRAFFIC asks that the would-be buyers of this species, and shops selling them as pets, think again.

“When you buy a Pig-nosed Turtle for a pet, you are not only supporting illegal wildlife traders, but you are also directly contributing to the decline of this species in the wild.”

Already, the Pig-nosed Turtle has been assessed as being Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List and potentially faces extinction in the wild.

 Assessing the trade in Pig-nosed Turtles Carettochelys insculpta in Papua, Indonesia, in October 2014, revealed the ongoing massive illegal trade in this species, with thousands being illegally harvested from the wild to feed international demand. The report highlighted that while legislation in Indonesia was adequate on paper, actual enforcement on the ground was insufficient to prevent the large-scale poaching and smuggling.

The report strongly recommended that the Indonesian authorities increase their vigilance and take strong action against the illegal trade, at point of collection, through the trade chain to the final exporter.  The report also called upon recipient countries, such as China, to increase their efforts in preventing the species from being smuggled in.  The TRAFFIC report warned that authorities should be especially attentive between January–March when new hatchlings are increasingly trafficked.

“The seizure is timely and stands as one example of a worrying illegal trade between wildlife-rich Indonesia and large consumer markets in China,” said Shepherd.

The seizure follows a move by the governments of Indonesia and China to strengthen co-operation on wildlife trade issues. In September, 2014, the two governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase direct trade in wildlife from Indonesia to China, without a third country intermediary and also strengthen co-operative efforts to reduce illegal trade in wildlife.

Thai policeman arrested in possession of 20 elephant tusks

Corrupt officer caught by Thai Police in smuggling attempt

February 2013. On February 2 Thai policemen pulled a vehicle over at a checkpoint. The driver turned out to be an off duty policeman, and his was found in possession of 20 elephant tusks, hidden in bags of fertilizer, and a firearm.

FREELAND (A Thai NGO) applauds the Royal Thai Police for foiling a cross border elephant tusk smuggling operation, and for arresting a main culprit and exposing corruption.

The suspect claimed that he was hired to smuggle the elephant tusks from Malaysia into Thailand. The suspect was arrested and charged for violating Thailand's Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act (WARPA) and for carrying unregistered weapons.

Thailand a hub for illegal ivory
FREELAND, which provides tip-offs and training to law enforcement agencies to counter wildlife crime, has observed that elephant tusks are being laundered into Asian markets to be mixed with legal stocks or are sold quickly as carvings. The price of ivory in Thailand remains high as most consumers remain unaware that most ivory carvings come from illegal elephant poaching. Currently, Africa is experiencing high levels of violent and rampant elephant poaching, sponsored by organized crime groups that are smuggling the tusks into Asia. In the last year, tusks from thousands of dead elephants have been seized as they were smuggled from Africa into Asia.

Thailand is set to host the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Bangkok in March. Trade in ivory and enforcement matters will be high on the agenda of the 180 country UN body.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/thai-police-ivory.html