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.
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