INDIAN STAR TORTOISE TRADE IN MALAYSIA

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*Press Release: *

*Indian Star Tortoise trade highlights importance of Malaysia's

wildlife trade legislation reform*

 

 

*Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 22 July 2004...* A burgeoning demand for exotic

pets in Peninsular Malaysia is driving illegal imports of CITES-listed

species into the country, with one of the more visible trades being the

Indian Star Tortoise, says TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

 

TRAFFIC Southeast Asia's report *Demand Driven: The Trade in Indian Star

Tortoises* Geochelone elegans in *Peninsular Malaysia*, released today,

demonstrates the availability of this species in the pet trade, despite

being protected in the range States of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

TRAFFIC investigators visited 31 pet and aquarium shops in Kuala Lumpur and

found that 77% of these admitted to selling Indian Star Tortoises. A total

of 173 Indian Star Tortoises were observed during these surveys.

 

The economic growth of Malaysia over the past 10 years has brought with it a

booming interest in keeping exotic pets, particularly reptiles – many of

which are species controlled by the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and smuggled into

Malaysia without correct permits.

 

Enforcing CITES regulations is challenging in terms of policing the various

international checkpoints throughout Malaysia. If cargoes of exotic pets are

successfully smuggled past Customs, however, due to an oversight in

legislative provisions, the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) of Peninsular

Malaysia does not allow government enforcement officials to regulate trade

in any exotic species of freshwater turtles and tortoises, regardless of any

international or national schedule of protection.

 

" TRAFFIC applauds efforts already made by the Malaysian Government to

address much needed legislative reforms, including ongoing consultations

between the Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the newly created

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, " said James Compton, Director

of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. " Addressing CITES issues across all Malaysian

jurisdictions requires consultation between the Federal level and relevant

authorities in Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak, and TRAFFIC urges the higher

levels of government to address this issue – and to fast-track a

comprehensive review of the existing legal framework. "

 

Although the TRAFFIC report focuses specifically on the need to amend

legislation and to improve enforcement efforts in Malaysia, the problems

associated with similar demand for CITES-listed reptiles are found in

several other Southeast Asian countries.

 

" Indian Star Tortoises are only the tip of the iceberg, with a recent

confiscation in India, of 441 Indian Star Tortoises from a Kuala

Lumpur-bound passenger at the Anna International illustrating the ongoing

nature of this problem, " said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia's Chris Shepherd, a

co-author of the report. " There are also several other threatened species of

freshwater turtles and tortoises – including Radiated Tortoise from

Madagascar, and Leopard Tortoise from Africa – that continue to be imported

into Malaysia illegally. "

 

The message to consumers is clear, according to TRAFFIC researchers.

" Reptile and pet enthusiasts in general should always ask about the legal

provenance of an animal before purchasing, " Shepherd added. " Buyers of

illegally supplied species are contributing to the threats, and even the

demise, of wild populations – in fact, irresponsible purchasing is the

engine that drives both the illegal harvest and the trade in species such as

the Indian Star Tortoise. "

 

Click here <http://www.traffic.org/news/press-releases/star_tortoise.pdf> to

download your personal copy of the full TRAFFIC Southeast Asia report *Demand

Driven: The Trade in Indian Star Tortoises *Geochelone elegans in *Peninsular

Malaysia*.

 

*For more information, please contact:*

Chris Shepherd, Regional Programme Officer for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia (in

Malaysia) tel: +603 78803940, email: cstsea

 

 

 

 

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