NE NEWS SERVICE
TIRUCHIRAPALLI, DECEMBER 9
Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligencce (DRI) have seized 4,500 red-eared slider turtles at the Tiruchirappalli airport on Saturday from three passengers arrived from Bangkok.
The turtles were neatly packed in 30 cartons, known to be among the world’s 100 most invasive species, which means they can harm the environment where they are introduced.
What has raised eyebrows is the fact that customs authorities have seized more than 9,000 red-eared slider turtles in the last three months alone. One of the three arrested was a native of Chennai, while the other two were from the southern districts. A senior official from the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) said the trio were being questioned to find out who handed them the turtle consignment. A team from Trichy forest department which examined the turtles confirmed they were red-eared slider turtles. Around 5,000 turtles were seized in September and November. The official said that they would alert the wildlife crime control bureau (WCCB) on rising incidents of such smuggling of harmful species into the state.
