An unclaimed container containing 235 endangered turtle species was discovered at Guwahati’s Kamakhya Railway Station. The arrest was made by the Railway Protection Force on Saturday night.
The majority of the captured turtles were Indian flap shell turtles, which are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.
They were crammed into ten suitcases with no one to watch over them.
The turtles were thought to have been smuggled by wildlife traffickers, but an investigation has been launched to confirm this. The shipment was discovered on the Indore-Kamakhya train in 19305.
After being turned over to the forest department, the turtles were transferred to the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden. They will be treated by the zoo’s veterinary staff before beginning the rehabilitation process.
“While checking, they found live turtles inside the bags. The RPF team produced and handed over the turtles to Guwahati Range under Kamrup East Division,” forest department sources informed.
“A wildlife case has been registered and the seized turtles have been taken to the Assam State Zoo for treatment and rehabilitation,” the sources informed.
The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater turtle species native to South Asia. The term “flap-shelled” refers to the presence of femoral flaps on the plastron. When the limbs retract into the shell, these flaps of skin cover them.
It’s unclear what kind of protection the flaps provide against predators.
Turtles are allegedly smuggled because their body parts are illegally sold for their alleged aphrodisiacal properties and use in traditional medicine.
It should be noted that in June last year, two front-line NGOs – Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) India and Help Earth signed a memorandum for long-term conservation of the rare freshwater black soft-shell turtle at Hayagriva Madhab Temple in Hajo with the Kamrup district administration and Assam State Zoo.
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