Poachers held with 60 tortoises
By IANSWednesday, June 16, 2010
LUCKNOW - Three poachers have been arrested with 60 tortoises, some still alive, in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad district, police said Wednesday.
The men were nabbed late Tuesday evening from Phulpur town while they were on their way to West Bengal to hand over the tortoises to their clients.
Police said the live tortoises were handed over to forest officials.
“The three are also involved in supplying animal skin, antlers and bird’s feathers to clients in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar,” police inspector Santosh Awasthi told reporters in Allahabad.
He added: “They have been involved in illegal wildlife trade for nearly six years. We are yet to ascertain from where they got the tortoises.” The three are from Sasaram district in Bihar.
India has banned the trade of tortoises under the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act, but the huge premium and lax laws are luring poachers to the trade.
Tortoises are killed for their meat and are used in preparation of some medicines, officials said.
