Srilanka: The custom officer of Sri Lanka has seized 206 live star turtles, which comes in the list of an endangered species. Smugglers had pasted dry sea food labels on the packets of turtles. An attempt was being made to take them to Malaysia. The biggest smuggling of this kind has been caught since 2015 in Sri Lanka.
The Customs Officer was quoted as saying that the Biodiversity, Cultural, National Heritage and Protection Division of Sri Lanka Customs seized live turtles at the Air Cargo Exports Terminal of Colombo International Airport on Saturday (February 11).
This is the biggest seizure since 2015
The custom officer informed that live turtles were packed in cloth sacks and packed in six boxes, which were labeled as dry sea food. According to officials, this was the biggest seizure since 2015, the last time customs officials foiled an attempt to smuggle 124 turtles. The customs officer said that the Sri Lankan star tortoise is a species (Geo melon elegans) found in India and Pakistan, but has a distinct geographical identity.
included in the red list
The custom officer said that it is one of the most beautiful turtle species found in the world and for this reason it is considered illegal to catch them. It is highly sought after especially in Southeast Asian countries, due to which the species is at risk of extinction and is included in the Red List of species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Because of this, exporting without any government permission is against the law.