Over 2,000 Pig-nosed Turtles fly home to a troubled future - via Herp Digest

Traffic - Thursday, February 6, 2014 -This case represents almost a quarter of the 11,122 Pig-nosed Turtles reported to have been seized in Indonesia and Hong Kong in just the first month of this year. 

This huge figure, which amplifies the growing threat of illegal wildlife trade, includes a seizure of 2,968 Pig-nosed Turtles in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport on 7th January and 5,400 more in Papua province shortly before that.

The 2,264 live Pig-nosed Turtles repatriated on Tuesday were part of an original seizure of over 2,754 turtles by the Hong Kong by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on 12th January.  

The turtles that survived the smuggling attempt were cared for by the Kadoorie Farm and Botainic Garden before being repatriated to Jakarta. 

The Pig-nosed Turtle Carettochelys insculpta is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While threatened by habitat loss and collection for local consumption in Papua, the turtle’s greatest threat remains illegal trade for the international pet market.

The turtles are listed in Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), but are protected in all three range States – Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea – making any international trade illegal. However, TRAFFIC’s research has revealed that thousands of Pig-nosed Turtle hatchlings continue to be collected for the trade, aided by poor regulation of laws, weak enforcement and poor governance.

“The numbers are damning for Pig-nosed Turtles and for Indonesia which continues to be one of the world’s most significant hubs of illegal wildlife trade,” said Dr Chris R. Shepherd, Regional Director for TRAFFIC in South-East Asia.

Although authorities in Indonesia traced one shipment to an address in Jakarta, including a contact number, they have yet to make any arrests. Similarly, no arrests have been made in Hong Kong, which is fast turning into the preferred destination for Pig-nosed Turtle traffickers. 

In recent years Indonesia stopped two Hong Kong bound shipments of Pig-nosed Turtles - one carrying 687 turtles last April and another with 3,500 turtles in February 2010. In October 2011, Hong Kong seized an Indonesian shipment of 800 Pig-nosed Turtles.

“While the seizures demonstrate that authorities are vigilant, how long are we to sit and watch this cycle of seize-and-return? There is little hope for the Pig-nosed Turtle if we don’t see a more co-ordinated and concerted effort by both Indonesia and Hong Kong to address the main players in the demand and supply of these turtles, ” said Shepherd.

TRAFFIC calls on Indonesia to track down the individuals perpetuating the large-scale collection and trade in Pig-nosed Turtles and put an end to their business. TRAFFIC would also like to see Hong Kong investigate the importers and businesses that receive and illegally sell these turtles to consumers.

Pig-Nosed Turtles Resting in Indonesia After Apparent Abduction – via Herp Digest

By Resty Woro Yuniar, WSJ Blog, SoutheastAsiaRealtime, 4/3/13

The Jakarta Natural Resources Center is the new home of nearly 700 baby pig-nosed turtles that were rescued from an apparent smuggling operation at the airport of Indonesia’s capital city.

“We are still considering whether to release them in their original habitat in Papua [Indonesia] or breed them until they’re big enough to survive in the wild,” Awen Supranata, the head of the Jakarta Natural Resources Center, told The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Supranata noted that it is “still dangerous to release them at the moment” since they are food to such predators as large fish and snakes.

The fresh-water turtles – which get their nickname from their pig-like snouts – have seen their populations nosedive and are protected under Indonesian law and an international treaty. While they can grow to 40 pounds, they are appealing as babies in pet stores, thus spurring smugglers to see them as swimming money.  These exotic baby turtles can be sold by smugglers for up to $20 each. Exotic pet lovers may pay from $500 to $2,000 for an adult pig-nosed turtle on the black market.

The turtles’ scientific name is carettochelys insculpta and they are found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Trade of such turtles is strictly regulated under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international treaty to protect threatened animals, fish and plants.

The turtles were discovered Monday by officials from the Jakarta Fish and Inspection Agency in packages registered as baggage on a Sriwijaya Air flight from Papua to Jakarta. The shipment lacked proper documents, meaning the identity of the smuggler wasn’t easily discovered.

“We are still investigating the smuggler,” Teguh Samudro, head of the fishery control agency at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, said in a statement on the agency’s website.  About one attempt to smuggle pig-nosed turtles is thwarted each year.

But Chairul Saleh, the endangered species conservation science coordinator at the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia, predicts they were destined for sale to exotic pet lovers.

“Based on the number of turtles in the packages, I think they’re going to be sold as pets,” said Mr. Saleh.

Under a 1990 Indonesian law, convicted smugglers of protected animal and plants can face up to three years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $15,400.

If authorities decide not to release the turtles into the wild, they have several options to encourage them to breed.

“We have a semi-natural breeding facility in Lampung,” said Mr. Supratna of Jakarta Natural Resources Center “Or we can transfer them to Taman Safari, which (has experience in breeding) pig-nosed turtles,” he added, referring to a zoo in Bogor, West Java.

Almost 1,500 turtles "crammed like sardines" into suitcases (Pig-nosed or Fly-River turtles) via Herp Digest

TRAFFIC in Enforcement, Herpetological, Smuggling in Asia
Chris R. Shepherd / TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Jakarta, Indonesia, 26 January, 2012

Close to 1,500 live Pig-nosed Turtles were seized yesterday in Mopah Airport, Merauke, in Papua Province, Indonesia. The 1,495 turtles were concealed inside two suitcases en route to Jakarta, the nation's capital and a major hub for illicit wildlife trade.

Valued as pets, and possibly consumed as meat in some countries, Pig-nosed Turtles are smuggled out of Indonesia by the thousands. Sources allege that shipments such as this one are common, with dealers in Jakarta buying the turtles from hunters and agents in Papua, then selling them on to dealers and retailers abroad.

Many are destined for the pet markets of East Asia, to places such as Hong Kong, where demand for this species is rising. The turtles are often concealed in shipments of tropical aquarium fish. There are also indications that many of the turtles are bound for the kitchen table, or to be used in traditional medicines.

Pig-nosed Turtles Carettochelys insculpta are totally protected in Indonesia, making collection for export illegal. Yet the trade large scale persists. Close to 3,500 Pig-nosed Turtles were seized in February 2010 in Jakarta, while in October last year, more than 600 seized in Hong Kong were returned to Indonesia for reintroduction to the wild. Most, however, once removed from their native habitat, never make it back. The authorities involved in intercepting this shipment are to be congratulated" said Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Regional Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. “However, the fact that dealers continue to smuggle shipments of this size indicates a serious problem in Indonesia, where illegal reptile trade is rife."

Pig-nosed Turtles are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires permits for all international trade and for the animals to have been obtained in accordance with national legislation. The Pig-nosed Turtle is threatened by habitat degradation and by illegal and unsustainable harvest for local consumption and international trade. It is listed as Vulnerable to extinction in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Jakarta-renowned illegal wildlife trade hub observations by TRAFFIC in December 2011 of three wildlife markets and a reptile expo in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, found a host of protected and endangered turtles and tortoises openly for sale, plus other protected species of reptiles, mammals and birds. Among them were 19 Green Turtles Chelonia mydas and eight Malaysian Giant Turtles Orlitia borneensis, both listed as Endangered by IUCN and Totally Protected in Indonesia. A host of non-native species were also seen, including a single Ploughshare Tortoise Astrochelys yniphora and 10 Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata, both Critically Endangered species endemic to Madagascar and listed in Appendix I of CITES, meaning international commercial trade in them is prohibited. “Illegal and unsustainable trade in turtles and other reptiles in Indonesia is a serious threat to the conservation of many species. Indonesia's enforcement agencies must take firm action against traders in Indonesia flouting the law," said Shepherd.