Madagascan tortoise smuggling
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
this article says 369 radiated tortoises, 5 ploughshares, 47 tomato frogs, as well as "several" chameleons of unspecified species
Hundreds of endangered reptiles seized - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Hundreds of endangered reptiles seized - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
the last bit of the article refers to this: http://www.zoochat.com/65/rare-animals-discovered-police-raid-kuala-160944/
another huge smuggling attempt of Madagascan tortoises, with 325 Radiated Tortoises and five Ploughshare Tortoises intercepted coming into Kuala Lumpur in May this year (2017).
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Malaysian Customs make large seizure of threatened Malagasy tortoises
The article suggests the tortoises will be returned to Madagascar.
The article also says this is the third time this year that Ploughshare Tortoise smugglers have been caught at KLIA (with three and one animals respectively), and additionally mentions over 700 Radiated and Ploughshare Tortoises being intercepted in 2015 before the smuggler left Madagascar, and two cases in 2010 at KL where smugglers were caught with 369 Radiated Tortoises and five Ploughshare Tortoises in one instance (that's the article which started this thread) and 285 Radiated Tortoises in the other instance.
Considering the huge numbers of animals involved, it's frightening to think that probably most smuggling attempts are successful.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Malaysian Customs make large seizure of threatened Malagasy tortoises
The article suggests the tortoises will be returned to Madagascar.
The article also says this is the third time this year that Ploughshare Tortoise smugglers have been caught at KLIA (with three and one animals respectively), and additionally mentions over 700 Radiated and Ploughshare Tortoises being intercepted in 2015 before the smuggler left Madagascar, and two cases in 2010 at KL where smugglers were caught with 369 Radiated Tortoises and five Ploughshare Tortoises in one instance (that's the article which started this thread) and 285 Radiated Tortoises in the other instance.
Considering the huge numbers of animals involved, it's frightening to think that probably most smuggling attempts are successful.
I am glad that Malaysian authorities seem to finally get serious with fighting wildlife crime. Kuala Lumpur along with Bangkok and Jakarta have been known to have been an important conduit points for illegal wildlife trade and onward outbound traffic into South East Asia.
However, it would be nice to see reporting on what ensues after the initial confiscations?
There clearly is a pattern here and somehow the culprits remain on the loose.
How have the smugglers' networks been affected by this one confiscation? How many from the middlemen to the top have been caught? What kind of sentencing is met out …, is it effective?
I have been proclaiming for years that the prime issue in illegal wildlife and plant trade is lax law enforcement and policing, coupled with administrations' judiciaries and politicians unwilling to act upon effectively.
However, it would be nice to see reporting on what ensues after the initial confiscations?
There clearly is a pattern here and somehow the culprits remain on the loose.
How have the smugglers' networks been affected by this one confiscation? How many from the middlemen to the top have been caught? What kind of sentencing is met out …, is it effective?
I have been proclaiming for years that the prime issue in illegal wildlife and plant trade is lax law enforcement and policing, coupled with administrations' judiciaries and politicians unwilling to act upon effectively.
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Frankly, I visited Madagascar and saw how poor it is and how it lacks basic institutions in the area where tortoises live.
The only hope of survival of ploughshare tortoise in the wild would be allowing some local community or powerful people to breed them, export some for profit, and release the rest in the wild and so have monetary interest in the tortoise survival.
Otherwise, the species will soon exist only in captivity or maybe in some very small, completely fenced and heavily protected reserve.
The only hope of survival of ploughshare tortoise in the wild would be allowing some local community or powerful people to breed them, export some for profit, and release the rest in the wild and so have monetary interest in the tortoise survival.
Otherwise, the species will soon exist only in captivity or maybe in some very small, completely fenced and heavily protected reserve.
Having visited Madagascar frequently over the past 10 years and I strongly disagree.
Illegal wildlife trade on Madagascar is a huge and growing problem, in part due to political instability in recent years which have accelerated deforestation across the island along with a failure to impose harsh sentences on known traffickers. The massive decline of Ring-tailed lemurs in the wild shows just how bad the situation is.
It is common knowledge that the locals who collect the Plougshare tortoises from the wild are being used by organized traffickers who pay them next to nothing (noteworthy given the amount they sell for on the international market) and who have zero interest in ensuring the survival of the wild population. If they had they would surely not have poached them to the brink of extinction already? no instead they will just move onto the next species.
Given the huge percentage of the wild population already smuggled out of the country there should in reality already be a self-sustaining population outside of Madagascar. The few populations that still do exist in the wild are already closely guarded but this is seemingly in vain seeing how the population continues to decline and seizures of freshly smuggled animals are done frequently.
Things have got to the point where people on various online forums are openly acknowledging that they have bought this species despite knowing it is illegal in order to bred them and "save the species from extinction". Somewhat ironic seeing how it is the very same people who are contributing to the extinction of the species in the first place.
Illegal wildlife trade on Madagascar is a huge and growing problem, in part due to political instability in recent years which have accelerated deforestation across the island along with a failure to impose harsh sentences on known traffickers. The massive decline of Ring-tailed lemurs in the wild shows just how bad the situation is.
It is common knowledge that the locals who collect the Plougshare tortoises from the wild are being used by organized traffickers who pay them next to nothing (noteworthy given the amount they sell for on the international market) and who have zero interest in ensuring the survival of the wild population. If they had they would surely not have poached them to the brink of extinction already? no instead they will just move onto the next species.
Given the huge percentage of the wild population already smuggled out of the country there should in reality already be a self-sustaining population outside of Madagascar. The few populations that still do exist in the wild are already closely guarded but this is seemingly in vain seeing how the population continues to decline and seizures of freshly smuggled animals are done frequently.
Things have got to the point where people on various online forums are openly acknowledging that they have bought this species despite knowing it is illegal in order to bred them and "save the species from extinction". Somewhat ironic seeing how it is the very same people who are contributing to the extinction of the species in the first place.
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Wow. Talk about adding fuel to the fire.
Absolutely not. Prohibition of legal export means that zoos and serious breeders found it impossible to obtain founder animals. Only a handful ploughshare tortoises are in zoos, very old exports and confiscated individuals.
Sadly, it is impossible to succeed under the present model. The area has very little police presence and court enforcement (like much of rural Madagascar). Preventing poaching is difficult job even in Europe, and requires heavy patroling and local police and courts committed to catching poaching. Neither exists in Madagascar.
What would succeed despite almost non-existing governmental law enforcement would be creating a strong local group with financial interest in protecting the tortoises. Given that tortoises are not interesting for tourists, best chance would be establishing several legal, for-profit breeding farms with permission to financially export some captive bred young for pets. A model are legal crocodile farms in South Africa, only these tortoise farms would be in much smaller scale and tortoises would be exported as legal pets.
I see it as a blunt but justified no-confidence vote, that the herp community has no faith in success of the current conservation model.
I am sure you notice that few breeders committed to conservation are small minority of the total people interested in keeping ploughshare tortoises. They cannot be blamed for the export, more like are small side addition to it. Under the present situation, those people cannot legally obtain or exchange animals or exchange information. In short, currently positive actions are paralyzed but negative are free.
Establishing a safe founder population would take only a small number of individuals. I think the best would be a temporary amnesty for existing tortoise keepers, breaking the circle of silence. Plus zoos and responsible breeders would buy out a founder population from private hands and obtain some young legally from the breeding centers in Madagascar.
Luckily, tortoises are relatively fecund animals, which means that it is possible to legally trade some young and still have population growth in the wild. Again the business and legal model might be some legal farms of crocodiles.
I unfortunately think that more likely officials will cling to the not working conservation model, failing to admit that it cannot succeed in the constraints of law and law enforcement. And ploughshare tortoises will be caught out to zero.
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Absolutely not. Prohibition of legal export means that zoos and serious breeders found it impossible to obtain founder animals. Only a handful ploughshare tortoises are in zoos, very old exports and confiscated individuals.
Sadly, it is impossible to succeed under the present model. The area has very little police presence and court enforcement (like much of rural Madagascar). Preventing poaching is difficult job even in Europe, and requires heavy patroling and local police and courts committed to catching poaching. Neither exists in Madagascar.
What would succeed despite almost non-existing governmental law enforcement would be creating a strong local group with financial interest in protecting the tortoises. Given that tortoises are not interesting for tourists, best chance would be establishing several legal, for-profit breeding farms with permission to financially export some captive bred young for pets. A model are legal crocodile farms in South Africa, only these tortoise farms would be in much smaller scale and tortoises would be exported as legal pets.
I see it as a blunt but justified no-confidence vote, that the herp community has no faith in success of the current conservation model.
I am sure you notice that few breeders committed to conservation are small minority of the total people interested in keeping ploughshare tortoises. They cannot be blamed for the export, more like are small side addition to it. Under the present situation, those people cannot legally obtain or exchange animals or exchange information. In short, currently positive actions are paralyzed but negative are free.
Establishing a safe founder population would take only a small number of individuals. I think the best would be a temporary amnesty for existing tortoise keepers, breaking the circle of silence. Plus zoos and responsible breeders would buy out a founder population from private hands and obtain some young legally from the breeding centers in Madagascar.
Luckily, tortoises are relatively fecund animals, which means that it is possible to legally trade some young and still have population growth in the wild. Again the business and legal model might be some legal farms of crocodiles.
I unfortunately think that more likely officials will cling to the not working conservation model, failing to admit that it cannot succeed in the constraints of law and law enforcement. And ploughshare tortoises will be caught out to zero.
I fail to see the need to further deplete wild populations on Madagascar as the source for founding a captive population when a large proportion of the world population are already outside of the country and can be used for this very purpose? surely cracking down harder on the illegal trade is the only way forward. You are incorrect stating that just a handful of Ploughshare tortoises exist in zoos. This species is historically very rare in zoological collections and young animals are favoured by the organized traffickers so those make up the majority of animals currently in captivity.
There is work underway to try and develop an re-assurance population in Asia (Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden in Hong Kong is leading this effort) and an re-assurance population is also being developed in North America (currently numbering 50+ animals) largely using animals seized from the illegal trade in Asia. The population in Europe is still small (more than a handful though) and also derive largely from seized animals. Since 2016 there is an International Studbook and no doubt this will mean that exchange of animals between zoos will improve.
Alot of zoos in Europe and North America are financially involved in the breeding/rehabilitation centres on Madagascar (which are working hard to cope given the massive numbers they recieve) and many smuggling attempts are foiled on Madagascar itself each year. Not even breeding centres on Madagascar dedicated to the conservation of tortoises are longer safe. These are being broken into and animals stolen in order to supply the demand from abroad (as a result many animals re-enter the illegal trade).
There is a massive legal trade in chameleons from Madagascar of species considered common enough to be able to sustain exploitation to some degree (all species are regulated by certain quotas). Yet illegal trade on an equally massive scale continues for the very same species which means that supposedly common species are now in serious decline. It makes you wonder how you can justify any trade at all, legal or not. I seriously doubt that this model would benefit Madagascan tortoises in any way.
I find it interesting that you consider if perfectly justified to continue the illegal trade of an endangered species on the brink of extinction in the wild because of certain self imposed elements in the herp community have taken upon themselves to try and do something These people are very much part of the problem despite their intentions, seeing as they help to create a continuing demand leading to further declines in the wild. These people have no problems sharing information and giving advice to others looking to source animals on facebook and various forums (so there is not really much silence surrounding it). People are not even afraid to show off animals with their shells engraved (used as a protection measure on Madagascar).
There would be little need for any conservation model at all if only the illegal collecting from the wild would stop.
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You are putting into my mouth something which I did not say. I proposed opening a legal trade to break down illegal trade.
However, it does not stop. And ignoring it will get nobody nowhere.
I stay with my opinion - conservation model of ploughshare tortoise comes from abroad and needs strong institutions and effective law enforcement. It cannot work where these don't exist and cannot build these in realistic time. Therefore it needs to change to the one working with both poor state institutions and poor law enforcement.
Not ignoring the issue, simply failing to understand how legalizing the trade would help the situation at this point. Besides legalizing trade is no guarantee to break down illegal trade, this have been proven again and again with many species (just take the Congo Grey Parrot as an example). Organized traffickers
falsifying CITES documents to pass of wild caught animals as captive bred is well documented.
There is plenty of examples of the current conservation model working perfectly fine in other developing nations, not sure why Madagascar should be an exception.
falsifying CITES documents to pass of wild caught animals as captive bred is well documented.
There is plenty of examples of the current conservation model working perfectly fine in other developing nations, not sure why Madagascar should be an exception.
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If several legal farms will take care to protect tortoises from poachers, they can protect most of the ploughshare tortoise's natural range. No such thing is possible with Grey Parrot large distribution. The tortoise, compared to the parrot, also produces about four times more young, can be bred in higher density and has much smaller market. This means that it is possible to saturate the market for the tortoise, not for the parrot.
About everybody involved in conservation agrees that the current conservation usually does NOT work well in developing nations. Madagascar is further special as one of poorest and most corrupt of developing countries.
How would breeding farms do a better job when you say one of their main goals would be to profit from the trade? if anything it would only make corruption worse . Besides I very much doubt commercial breeding farms would bred sufficient numbers to meet the demand from legal trade.
The only facilities with any notable success in breeding Ploughshare tortoises in captivity are those run by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on Madagascar. This breeding project started in the late 1980s and even they are unable to bred sufficient numbers to supplement declines in the wild.
Having worked on several conservation projects focusing on chelonians in Asia and aim sorry but there is no way to saturate the rampant illegal turtle trade in Southeast Asia. There is such a enormous demand and they are traded on such a massive scale that only species being bred on a commercial scale are able to withstand it.
I have been involved in conservation projects in developing nations during most of my career (Asia and prior to my retirement in Madagascar) so quite a curious statement to make and certainly not something most people I have worked with in-situ conservation would agree with.
The only facilities with any notable success in breeding Ploughshare tortoises in captivity are those run by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on Madagascar. This breeding project started in the late 1980s and even they are unable to bred sufficient numbers to supplement declines in the wild.
Having worked on several conservation projects focusing on chelonians in Asia and aim sorry but there is no way to saturate the rampant illegal turtle trade in Southeast Asia. There is such a enormous demand and they are traded on such a massive scale that only species being bred on a commercial scale are able to withstand it.
I have been involved in conservation projects in developing nations during most of my career (Asia and prior to my retirement in Madagascar) so quite a curious statement to make and certainly not something most people I have worked with in-situ conservation would agree with.
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So sad ! :
Breaking News - Nearly 11,000 Radiated Tortoises Seized in Madagascar!
A confiscation of monumental proportions, and the largest for tortoises or freshwater turtles in the history of the Turtle Survival Alliance has occurred in Madagascar. On the night of April 10, 2018, TSA staff were alerted to a confiscation of 10,976 Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) from a single residence in the city of Toliara on the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Three suspects have been apprehended in connection with the smuggling operation.
See the video of the raid on the house containing the tortoises at minute 12:03 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFNqpVhw1kI&t=1s
Read more here: Monumental Radiated Tortoise Seizure! | Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)
Breaking News - Nearly 11,000 Radiated Tortoises Seized in Madagascar!
A confiscation of monumental proportions, and the largest for tortoises or freshwater turtles in the history of the Turtle Survival Alliance has occurred in Madagascar. On the night of April 10, 2018, TSA staff were alerted to a confiscation of 10,976 Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) from a single residence in the city of Toliara on the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Three suspects have been apprehended in connection with the smuggling operation.
See the video of the raid on the house containing the tortoises at minute 12:03 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFNqpVhw1kI&t=1s
Read more here: Monumental Radiated Tortoise Seizure! | Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)
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Another article about this seizure ( and the involvement of San Diego Zoo to help ) :
SD Zoo helps rescue more than 10k tortoises from dismal conditions
Just saw this article about the radiated tortoise rescue from April earlier this year. It contains an interview with Justin Rosenberg, a veterinarian at the White Oak Conservation Centre in Florida who travelled to Madagascar to help treat the surviving tortoises. Many other zookeepers, animal handlers and veterinarians have also travelled from around the world to support the Turtle Survival Alliance, who are caring for the animals.
The full article is included below:
One tortoise at a time: Q&A with zoo veterinarian Justin Rosenberg
The full article is included below:
One tortoise at a time: Q&A with zoo veterinarian Justin Rosenberg