Sri Lankan star tortoises are the identical species as that present in India. (Representational)

Colombo:

Sri Lankan customs officers have seized 206 reside star tortoises, that are listed as an endangered species, that have been being smuggled to Malaysia in containers labelled as “dried seafood”, the biggest such seize since 2015.

The Biodiversity, Cultural and Nationwide Heritage Safety Division of Sri Lanka customs seized the reside tortoises on the Air Cargo Exports Terminal of Colombo worldwide airport on Saturday, a customs launch stated.

The reside tortoises, stuffed inside fabric sacks and packed in six containers labelled as “dried seafood”, have been being smuggled out to Kuala Lumpur, it stated.

Based on the officers, it was the biggest seizure since mid-2015 when a bid to smuggle 124 tortoises was foiled.

Sri Lankan star tortoises are the identical species (Geochelone elegans) as that present in India and Pakistan however have a selected geographic identification, the customs officers stated.

“It is likely one of the most lovely tortoise species discovered on this planet and because of the similar purpose they’ve been extremely wanted within the unlawful pet commerce, particularly within the South East Asian nations,” they stated.

“Consequently, the species has change into threatened with extinction and included within the Worldwide Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pink Record of species and likewise in Appendix I of the Conference of Worldwide Commerce in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” the officers added.

They stated that the based on Fauna and Flora Safety Ordinance (part 40), try to export any mammal, chook, reptile, amphibian, fish, coral or invertebrate, eggs, amongst others with out the permission of the Director Normal of the Wildlife Conservation Division is an offence and likewise concurrently violates the Customs Ordinance. 

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