The rescued turtles are protected under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, which prohibits their captivity, transportation, or sale
In the largest seizure of turtles ever recorded in Bangladesh, the Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) of the Forest Department has rescued nearly 1,000 endangered turtles weighing approximately 800 kilograms from a warehouse in Chandpur’s Shahrashti Upazila.
However, nobody was arrested in the operation carried out on information in the upazila’s from Monday night to Tuesday morning. All the rescued turtles were alive.
Terming the seizure to the largest of its kind in the country, WCCU Inspector Asim Mallick, said that the turtles belonged to three endangered species: 500 kg of Sundhi Kachim (Indian roofed turtle), 280 kg of Kori Kaitta (brown roofed turtle), and 20 kg of Holud Kachhap (yellow pond turtle).
“Local residents and traders informed us that an illegal syndicate had been operating this business under the guise of fish trading for a long time. The turtles were being stored at the warehouse to be smuggled to India through the Benapole border,” he said.
He highlighted that the rescued turtles are protected under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, which prohibits their captivity, transportation, or sale. Legal action is underway, and a case will be filed to bring those responsible to justice.
The rescued turtles are currently under the care of the Forest Department and will soon be released into natural water bodies.
This operation underscores the ongoing battle against wildlife trafficking in Bangladesh and the urgent need for stricter enforcement to protect endangered species.
Three species of vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered, freshwater turtles are widely poached from Bangladesh to meet market demand in the Indian state of Tripura, according to a study submitted to Bangladesh Forest Department in 2020.
According to experts, Bangladesh has become a source of and a transit route for wildlife trafficking. The country is also a consumer of many wildlife species.
A study, published in Cambridge University Press journal in November 2022, surveyed 13 wildlife markets across Bangladesh and identified 421 traders selling wildlife.
