BLACK SPOTTED TURTLES

Sept. 30, 2018

Acc. to a recent report by TRAFFIC, an international network monitoring trade in wildlife, India accounts for 29% of black spotted turtles seized from across seven countries in South Asia.

About:

  • Scientific name: Geoclemys hamiltonii.

  • Common name: Spotted Pond Turtle, Black Pond Turtle, Black Spotted Turtle, Hamilton's Terrapin.

  • Range and Distribution: It is native to South Asia (Bangladesh; India; Nepal; Pakistan). In India, it is distributed across the north, northeast and a few parts of central India.

  • IUCN status:

  • Conservation Actions: Listed on CITES Appendix I.

  • Physical description: it is a medium-sized freshwater turtle having a black shell with yellow streaks.

TRAFFIC Report:

  • The report titled ‘Black Spotted Turtle Trade in Asia II: A Seizure Analysis’ records seizures of 10,321 specimens in 53 instances across seven countries between 2014 and 2016.

  • The highest number of seizures occurred in India, accounting for a total of 3,001 (29%) specimens. Of the 53 seizures across these seven countries, 38% (or 20) seizures were from India.

  • States of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are used as trade routes even though they completely fall out of the distribution range of the species.

  • Chennai has been identified as a major transit hub for its illegal international trade
    • The highly trafficked specie was once smuggled for its meat and is now sought after as an exotic pet.



Source : The Hindu