Rescued 50 Indian Star Tortoises to be returned to India from Singapore

Pashu Sandesh, 31st October 2018

It's good news for the 50 rescued Indian Star Tortoises. Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) is currently taking care of the rescued reptiles. About a month back 50 Indian Star Tortoises were rescued in Singapore form illegal wildlife trade. Animals which are rescued from illegal trades are often kept in confines for the fear of diseases. Many of these animals could end up living out their lives at ACRES or WRS, which is the designated centre for rescued wildlife in Singapore.

The rescued Tortoises will be sent back to Bangalore where they will be kept in quarantine and released in the Wild only after ascertaining that they are disease free. These reptiles would also be microchipped to keep a tag on their activity in the wild. 

As per the officials from ACRES, repatriation is a lengthy and costly process. Most of the time the Animals are kept in the host country in the best possible condition simply because it would be too costly to arrange their transportation back to their native country. In this case also ACRES would be spending around 60000 dollars on the return process. Since the environment of Singapore is hot and humid which is detrimental to the health of these Indian Star Tortoises, ACRES has decided to send these animals back. 

The Indian star tortoise is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Yet, it remains one of the most widely trafficked tortoise species in the world due to its striking yellow and black shell, which features a unique star-like radiating pattern.