Thailand a hub for illegal turtle trade

Apr 25, 2008, 5:39 GMT

Bangkok - Bangkok's Chatuchak weekend market is a major hub for the illegal trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises, according to a report released Friday by TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring network.

A recent investigation conducted by TRAFFIC, in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), found that the majority of turtles on sale at Chatuchak were illegally imported into the country and many were listed as endangered species.

'Dealers stated openly that many specimens were smuggled into and out of Thailand,' said Chris R Shepherd, senior programme officer for TRAFFIC South-East Asia. 'They even offered potential buyers advice on how to smuggle reptiles through customs and onto aeroplanes.'

The most popular species at Chatuchak market was the Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), a species endemic to Madagascar and listed in Appendix I of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), meaning that all commercial international trade in Radiated Tortoises is prohibited.

The report found that nearly a third of the turtles and tortoises on sale at the popular Bangkok market were listed in Appendix I of CITES, and that dealers regularly urged buyers to purchase the most endangered species because of their rarity value.

'It is a sad day when people use a species' risk of extinction as a selling point,' said Jane Smart, Head of IUCN's Species Programme.

Following disclosure of the report's findings, Thai police raided Chatuchak market earlier this month and seized a variety of illegal wildlife, including 18 Radiated Tortoises and 3 Ploughshare Tortoises (A.yniphora).

International trade in the Ploughshare, considered the world's rarest tortoise, is prohibited.

'We congratulate the Royal Thai Police on their recent raid,' said Shepherd. 'But recent information indicates the illegal trade continues, and we encourage the authorities to keep the pressure on.'