New Delhi: In a crackdown on illegal wildlife trade in multicity Operation “Kachchhap”, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) apprehended 6 persons with 955 live baby Gangetic turtles of different species at Nagpur, Bhopal and Chennai on September 30, 2023, the Ministry of Finance stated here today.
The species of Gangetic turtles rescued are Indian Tent Turtle, Indian Flapshell Turtle, Crown River Turtle, Black Spotted/Pond Turtle and Brown Roofed Turtle.
Some of the species rescued are specified as vulnerable/near threatened species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and Schedule I and II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Illegal trade, over-exploitation for meat and habitat degradation are major threats to the survival of these species.
Offering details, the Ministry said that intelligence was developed by the officers of DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) about a syndicate involved in illegal trafficking and trading of ‘’Turtles of Ganges’’, some of which are specified as vulnerable/ near threatened species under IUCN Red List and Schedule I and II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Illegal trade and habitat degradation are major threats to these species.
The officers chalked out an” intricate” all-India plan to apprehend the offenders at different locations in the country simultaneously and rescue the turtles and concerted all-India efforts led to the seizure of live baby turtles.
After the initial seizure under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the perpetrators and Gangetic turtles were handed over to the respective Forest Departments for further investigation.
The operation comes in a series of other such crackdowns over the past months to preserve the environment and combat illegal wildlife trafficking.
– global bihari bureau
