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.
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