Despite legal protection, Indian turtles are poached for restaurant trade

About | Contact | Mongabay on Facebook | Mongabay on Twitter | Free newsletter

SHARE:

Despite legal protection, Indian turtles are poached for restaurant trade
mongabay.com
August 10, 2009

Despite being accorded the highest level of protection under Indian law, soft shell turtles are regularly trafficked in Kerala for the restaurant trade, report researchers writing in in the journal Tropical Conservation Science.

Conducting a survey in Punnamada (South India), K. Krishnakumar, Rajeev Raghavan and Benno Pereira found that Indian pond terrapins and Indian Flap-shelled turtles are poached from Vembanad Lake and the Punnamada wetlandsto meet demand from local restaurants and toddy shops. Buyers believe their consumption of turtle meat is effective in controlling arthritis and curing other disorders.

The authors note that "Despite being listed at the highest level in the Indian wildlife protection act, very little law enforcement takes place and turtles are exploited and traded regularly in this region."

Krishnakumar and colleagues conclude by urging the immediate launch of awareness programs aimed at local fishers, turtle collectors, and restaurant owners to "sensitize them on relevant wildlife laws as well as on the biological and socio-economic impacts of turtle exploitation and trade".

Krishnakumar, K., Raghavan, R. and Pereira, B. 2009. Protected on papers, hunted in wetlands: exploitation and trade of freshwater turtles (Melanochelys trijuga coronata and Lissemys punctata punctata) in Punnamada, Kerala, India. Tropical Conservation Science Vol.2 (3):363-373.

CITATION:
mongabay.com (August 10, 2009). Despite legal protection, Indian turtles are poached for restaurant trade. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0810-tcs_indian_turtles.html

Tags:
herps reptiles India wildlife wildlife trade poaching endangered species wildlife trafficking asia environment green tcs wetlands Environmental Law

print

Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home

Advertisements:

Mongabay Store
Wildlife of Madagascar T-shirt		Bold and Dangerous - Pygmy tyrant
Love me before I'm gone - Gladiator frog		Licking this frog may make you crazy

DON'T LIKE ADS? Become a mongabay supporter

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

RECENT FEATURES

		As Amazon deforestation falls, food production rises
		Biggest environmental news stories of 2011
		The year in review for rainforests
		Our top nature pictures of 2011

Photos

Brazil	China	Colombia
Costa Rica	Deforestation	Gabon
India	Indonesia	Kenya
Madagascar	Peru	Rainforest

ABOUT
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)

Help support mongabay.com when you buy from Amazon.com

CALENDARS

BOOKS BY MONGABAY AUTHORS

Conservation in an age of mass extinction

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS

Copyright mongabay 2010

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect,
an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region.
Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant.