The tortoises could have been brought from the forests of either Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, said authorities. Photo: M. Prabhu An attempt to smuggle star tortoises by train to Surat, Gujarat, was foiled by officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WLCCB), Southern Region, in Chennai on Thursday. S.R.V. Murthy, Regional Deputy Director, WLCCB, said they received specific information about the smuggling of the tortoises by train on Wednesday. Following this, authorities monitored parcels meant for Surat-bound trains. With the help of the railway police, they found 50 star tortoises concealed under a set of polythene covers with ornamental fishes. They seized the tortoises, that were found to be alive. They could have been collected from the forests of either Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, where they are found in large numbers, he said. Mr. Murthy said usually, when star tortoises are seized by them or the Customs authorities, the case would be handed over to the State Forest officials concerned. He added that in this case, the WLCCB has decided to take up investigation. This is being done to find if any foreign hand is involved in the smuggling of the species, which ultimately ends up in South East Asian countries. “At present, the star tortoises have been categorised under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. If the species is allowed to be smuggled on a regular basis, then it would be pushed to the brink of extinction and we will need to reclassify it as ‘endangered’,” he warned. Keywords: star tortoise smuggling, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, S.R.V. Murthy (Source : The Hindu)