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Pig-nosed turtle. Pix courtesy of Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden.

ASIAN tortoises and freshwater turtles suffer greatly from illegal, unregulated trade, harvested to meet the demand for meat, use in traditional medicines, and for the pet trade. Somewhat worryingly, an increasing number of people worldwide are becoming more fascinated with keeping “exotic” pets.

Demand for these animals as pets comes from within a country where these species live, and abroad. One creature in trade internationally is the pig-nosed turtle, Carettochelys insculpta. Named for its its porcine snout, this turtle looks more like its sea-faring cousins with flippers similar to those of marine turtles.

It is found in only three countries, namely Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. And unfortunately, the rarer a creature is, the higher the premium attached to it commercially, attracting reptile enthusiasts and traffickers.

In a period of seven and a half years, researchers training their eyes on the trade in pig-nosed turtles identified 26 seizures totalling 52,374 smuggled turtles, occurring in or originating from Indonesia.

Monitor Conservation Research Society (MCRS) and the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group examined 2013-2020 seizures, looking at contemporary trade networks and hubs, mapped routes, assessed successful prosecutions, and in the process, flagged failures to utilise existing tools to better protect the species and anomalies in how legal trade in the species is permitted.

Indonesia emerged as the greatest source of the species entering illegal trade; Of the 52,374 turtles confiscated, 10,956 were seized in six separate trafficking incidents originating from Indonesia.

Amongst those countries was Malaysia, with two shipments intercepted by the authorities; one off Johor waters, with 3,300 individuals being smuggled by boat from Riau’s Bengkalis Island, Indonesia, while another, involving 4,000 turtles occurred off Sabah’s coast near Tawau.

This species used to be sold openly in pet stores but are now increasingly sold through social media apps. Until Malaysian laws catch up to include wildlife cybercrime, online traders will continue to exploit this loophole. Malaysia is also a transit point for the trade of pig-nosed turtles coming from Indonesia.

PUTTING TOOLS TO USE

The locations of pig-nosed turtle seizures that occurred in Indonesia, and several that occurred outside the country but reported Indonesia as the source and quantities of individuals seized. This is based on 26 seizure incidents obtained for the period January 2013 to June 2020.

Globally, a treaty called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) provides a means of regulating international trade in species threatened by trade, using a system of appendices.

The pig-nosed turtle is listed in Appendix II, which means trade is permitted only with required permits — but the individuals that were confiscated during the study period didn’t have any. Furthermore, it’s totally protected in Indonesia. Despite these legal protections, only nine of the 26 cases were successfully prosecuted, with the “success” arguable as none were to the full extent of the law: a maximum five-year prison sentence and a fine of US$7,132.

Offenders rarely received penalties close to the maximum — the highest prison sentence given was approximately half the potential maximum. As far as can be assessed, no one was charged for violations under the Customs Law (maximum penalty 10 years imprisonment and US$356,583 fine) or the Fisheries Act 31 (maximum penalty five years imprisonment and an US$106,975 fine).

“Indonesia has multiple tools in the form of legislation and regulations to serve as a strong deterrent, and ultimately to protect this species from over-exploitation,” says Dr Chris R. Shepherd, the study’s lead author, adding: “But tools are ineffectual if they’re not put to use.”

Protected species may be commercially traded in Indonesia if the specimens have been bred to a second generation in captivity, and only by traders with a license to breed these species. However, traders in Indonesia are known to abuse these regulations and launder wild-caught animals into the international market under the guise of being bred in captivity.

The possibility of bogus captive breeding operations, given the time and resources required in breeding pig-nosed turtles in captivity to the second generation, was also flagged in this recent study.

“In all likelihood, the turtles declared as captive-bred are all wild-caught or ranched, and falsely declared as being captive-bred to circumvent restrictions and enable export to countries where the checking of the source of the imported animals is lax,” points outsays Dr Vincent Nijman, the co-author of the study.

NEED FOR ROBUST STRATEGY

Repatriation and wild release. Pix courtesy of Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden.

The authors also question how more than 5,000 pig-nosed turtles were exported as wild-caught, in direct violation of Indonesia’s own legislation, including 80 into the United States of America, in violation of the US Lacey Act.

The vast majority were destined for mainland China and Hong Kong. Elevating this species to Appendix I of Cites would assist the range states in obtaining stronger cooperation from other Cites Parties, as species listed in Cites I are generally prohibited from international commercial trade, and in some countries, penalties for trading in Appendix I listed species are often higher.

Clearly, Indonesia is in urgent need of a robust strategy to effectively tackle this trade along the trafficking chain. The country has legislation and infrastructure that should be utilised to punish the wildlife criminals, and ultimately, better protect the pig-nosed turtle.

Malaysians too have a role to play in ending the illegal trade in pig-nosed turtles. We need to come together to help raise awareness of this issue, and not be a part of the problem by buying pig-nosed turtles.

If we see pig-nosed turtles for sale, or know of someone keeping one as a pet, we have to report it to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Hotline at 1-800-88-5151 (Mon-Fri office hours) or the 24-hour MYCAT Wildlife Crime Hotline at 019-356 4194.

It’s time to play our part!

Illegal wildlife trade, seizures and prosecutions: a 7-and-a-half-year analysis of trade in Pig-nosed Turtles Carettochelys insculpta in and from Indonesia by Chris R. Shepherd, Lalita Gomez and Vincent Nijman was published in Global Ecology and Conservation.

Source: www.nst.com.my

Despite battling a lack of visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic the Port Moresby Nature Park continues to forge ahead with the rehabilitation and rescue of Papua New Guinea’s animals.

The Park’s chief executive Michelle McGeorge said in August visitation was down by 70 per cent.

“In order to sustain operations ideally we need 100 per cent capacity so we did launch a GoFundMe campaign in June,” she said.

The online fundraiser has so far raised more than $200,000 which is just over half what Ms McGeorge says the park needs to operate.

“Our target was to pay for 10 months of our wildlife expenses,” she said.

“I’m not only responsible for 550 animals but at the end of the day I’m responsible for 70 staff and their livelihoods.”

The park accepts injured and surrendered wildlife in the hopes of rehabilitating them and releasing them back into the wild, or keeping them in the Park as their ‘forever home’.

One type of animal the park has spent the last five years rehabilitating is the endangered pig nose turtle.

The freshwater turtle, named for it’s snout-like nose, is hunted for it’s ‘uniqueness’ by illegal pet traders.

The Park hatched 47 turtle eggs and helped grow the population until releasing some back into the wild last year, and the rest this year amid the pandemic.

Asia’s tortoises and freshwater turtles suffer greatly from illegal, unregulated trade, with many pushed towards extinction. Among these is the pig-nosed turtle Carettochelys insculpta, harvested to meet the demand for international pet trade, and for local meat consumption and use in traditional medicines. Monitor Conservation Research Society and the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group examined reported seizures over the period 2013 to 2020, looking at contemporary trade networks and hubs, mapped routes, assessed successful prosecutions, and in the process, flagged failures to utilise existing tools to better protect the species. Loopholes in current legislation exploited by traders were also scrutinised.

In the study period, 26 seizures amounting to 52,374 individuals were analysed, with Indonesia emerging as the greatest source of the species entering illegal trade, both within Indonesia and internationally. Most of these incidents occurred in Papua Province (19,700 individuals) and Greater Jakarta, including the Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Internationally, 10,956 pig-nosed turtles were seized in six separate incidents originating from Indonesia.

While the pig-nosed turtle is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is totally protected in Indonesia, only nine of the 26 cases examined were successfully prosecuted – but never to the full extent of the law, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and a fine of USD7,132. Offenders rarely received penalties close to the maximum; the highest prison sentence issued was approximately half the potential maximum.

“The lack of enforcement and meaningful deterrents for offenders undermines efforts to protect the species and renders attempts at legal and sustainable trade useless,” said Dr Chris R. Shepherd, the study’s lead author. “Indonesia has legislation and regulations in place to protect pig-nosed turtles from over-exploitation, but these tools are ineffectual if they are not put to use.”

Pig-nosed turtles seized in Indonesia, and outside Indonesia but reported Indonesia as the source, indicating quantities of individuals seized at each location based on 26 seizure incidents between January 2013 and June 2020.

The possibility of bogus captive breeding operations, given the time and resources required in breeding pig-nosed turtles in captivity to the second generation, was also flagged. “In all likelihood, the turtles declared as captive-bred are all wild-caught or ranched, and falsely declared as being captive-bred to circumvent restrictions and enable export to countries where the checking of the source of the imported animals is lax,” said Dr. Vincent Nijman, study co-author. Laundering wild-caught reptiles under the guise of captive breeding in Indonesia is well-documented but needs further investigation.

The authors also question how 5,240 turtles were exported as wild-caught, in direct violation of Indonesia’s legislation, including 80 into the United States of America, in possible violation of the US Lacey Act. The vast majority were destined for mainland China and Hong Kong. All importing countries and territories identified in this study are Party to CITES and are obligated to ensure that trade in this species is carried out in a legal manner. Perhaps elevating this species to Appendix I of CITES would assist all three range states in obtaining stronger cooperation from other CITES Parties in the effort to prevent illegal international trade in this species.

Indonesia is evidently in urgent need of a robust strategy to effectively tackle the illegal trade in pig-nosed turtles, from point of collection to sale. Better use of existing legislation and effective scrutiny of traders claiming to commercially breed such species is essential to obstruct illegal trade and to ultimately better protect pig-nosed turtles.

Illegal wildlife trade, seizures and prosecutions: a 7.5-year analysis of trade in Pig-nosed Turtles Carettochelys insculpta in and from Indonesia by Chris R. Shepherd, Lalita Gomez and Vincent Nijman was published in Global Ecology and Conservation.

Source : mcrsociety.org

The enigmatic New Guinea giant softshell turtle (hatchling) is one of the freshwater turtle species that are at risk of disappearing before researchers have time to study them. Photo by Dr Carla Eisemberg, Kikori River, Papua New Guinea.

Source : scimex.org

Kura-kura moncong babi – Foto/Brilio

Klikhijau.com – Kura-kura moncong babi (Carettochelys insculpta) adalah jenis satwa dilindungi yang keberadaannya semakin terancam akibat perdagangan illegal.

Kura-kura moncong babi. Foto : IUCNredlist/John Cann

Gardaanimalia.com – Kura-kura moncong babi (Carettochelys insculpta) merupakan jenis labi-labi sungai yang dapat ditemukan di perairan Papua Indonesia, Papua Nugini dan Australia.

Satwa akuatik ini dapat hidup di air tawar dan payau, biasa mencari makan di dasar kolam, pinggiran sungai, danau, dan muara. Kura-kura ini omnivora, memakan tanaman, buah, invertebrata dan ikan.

Satwa dilindungi ini juga memiliki bagian moncong yang lebih panjang serta hidung yang menyerupai hidung babi, dari morfologi inilah asal mula nama jenis satwa ini.

Tidak seperti kura-kura air tawar lainnya, kura-kura berhidung babi memiliki sirip pada bagian kaki, lebih menyerupai kura-kura laut daripada spesies air tawar. Mereka memiliki daya jelajah yang luas dan menggunakan siripnya untuk berenang seperti dayung.

Kura-kura ini memiliki permukaan cangkang yang kasar dan tidak memiliki sisik bertulang seperti jenis kura-kura lain, Plastron berwarna krem, sedangkan karapas dapat bervariasi antara berbagai warna coklat hingga abu-abu gelap.

Ukuran kura-kura dewasa tergantung pada habitatnya, dengan individu di dekat pantai jauh lebih besar daripada kura-kura di dekat sungai.

Kura-kura moncong babi betina cenderung memiliki ukuran yang lebih besar dibandingkan kura-kura jantan, perbedaannya jantan cenderung memiliki ekor yang lebih panjang dan lebih tebal. Kura-kura dewasa bisa mencapai panjang hingga setengah meter, dengan berat rata-rata 22,5 kg dan panjang cangkang rata-rata 46 cm.

Kura-kura ini berkembang biak selama musim kemarau pada saat musim bertelur antara bulan Agustus-Oktober setiap tahunnya.

Saat selesai melewati masa kawin dan memasuki masa bertelur, umumnya kura-kura betina akan keluar dari air untuk menyimpan telurnya di pangkal air. Jenis kelamin kura-kura moncong babi sangat dipengaruhi suhu sekitarnya, tukik jantan diproduksi ketika suhu menurun setengah derajat dan tukik betina diproduksi ketika suhu meningkat setengah derajat.

Terancam kepunahan

Kura-kura moncong babi terus terancam keberadaannya di habitat asalnya, salah satu ancaman terbesarnya adalah perdagangan satwa ilegal. Ribuan tukik diselundupkan dari Papua keluar wilayah hingga mencapai pasar satwa internasional.

Sebuah laporan dari Traffic, hingga 2 juta kura-kura moncong babi diambil dari sungai di wilayah Merauke, Papua. Kura-kura ini diperdagangkan secara ilegal setiap tahun untuk membuat obat tradisional Cina dan makanan eksotis.

Tukik, yang paling banyak diperjualbelikan, memiliki harga yang bervariasi tergantung dimana tukik itu dijual. Di desa-desa pedalaman Papua, tukik dapat terjual Rp. 7000 – Rp. 18.000/ekor, sementara di pusat perdagangan domestik seperti Jakarta dan Surabaya seharga Rp. 60.000 – Rp. 100.000/ekor, di pasar internasional tukik dihargai Rp. 500.000 – Rp. 800.000/ekor.

Ribuan telur diambil langsung dari alam untuk ditetaskan, hampir semua pengambilan telur tersebut dilakukan secara ilegal karena masih belum adanya penangkaran khusus untuk Kura-kura spesial ini.

Secara internasional, kura-kura jenis ini berstatus endangered atau terancam dalam daftar merah International Union Conservation Nature (IUCN), status ini hanya dua tingkat lagi menuju kepunahan.

Kura-kura ini juga masuk dalam kategori Appendix II oleh Convention International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), yang berarti daftar spesies yang dapat terancam punah bila perdagangan terus berlanjut tanpa adanya pengaturan.

Di Indonesia, Kura-kura moncong babi masuk ke dalam daftar satwa dilindungi menurut Peraturan Menteri LHK No. 106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang perubahan kedua atas Peraturan Menteri LHK Nomor P.20/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/6/2018 tentang jenis tumbuhan dan satwa yang dilindungi.

Kurangnya pengawasan pihak berwenang terkait pengambilan telur dan penyelundupan tukik kura-kura moncong babi dapat meningkatkan potensi kepunahan satwa air ini. Perlindungan habitat dan ketatnya pengawasan perdagangan satwa dapat membantu melestarikan kura-kura jenis ini.

Sumber: www.gardaanimalia.com

Endangered turtles returned to the wild

Fifteen endangered pig-nosed turtles have pioneered the first ever fresh water turtle wildlife release of its kind in Papua New Guinea.

The pig-nosed turtles made the trip from Port Moresby Nature Park in the capital to the Gulf Province via plane and then by boat where they were released into a side estuary of the Kikori River.

In 2015 the Nature Park ambitiously launched a number of animal breeding and research programs, including the commitment to take on 47 pig-nosed turtle hatchlings from the Kikori Delta region to study the growth rates of this little-studied species.  The research project is being done in partnership with the University of Canberra and the Piku Biodiversity Network through direct sponsorship by ExxonMobil PNG.

The ‘head-start’ program was the first ever attempted initiative to study these species.  The focus was on determining the turtles’ growth rates. This has required the Nature Park’s Wildlife Department to measure weekly the shell width and weight of each. In the wild, newly hatched turtles have about a one percent chance of survival to adulthood.

The pig-nosed turtles had been safely living and growing in the Nature Park free from predators until they have reached a size large enough to have a better chance of survival from one percent at birth to now up to thirty percent.

The next stage of the project was to return the turtles to their birth place. Accompanying the pig-nosed turtles on the trip back to Kikori was Conservation and Environment Protection Authority’s Wildlife, Trade & Enforcement Officer Nicho Gowep, Nature Park’s Wildlife Keeper Emma Oliver and professional photographer Vanessa Kerton from madNESS Photography.

Port Moresby Nature Park’s General Manager said: “The success of the release program was made possible through the support of one of our major partners, ExxonMobil PNG, through the Head Start Program in partnership with the University of Canberra. The Nature Park was able to research growth rates of the pig-nosed turtles since 2015 and we are delighted to see these turtles released back into the wild.”

Michelle McGeorge also added: “The Park will continue to spearhead programs like this to help ensure that we are doing our bit in preserving the wildlife of this beautiful land. This is research never undertaken before that we will publish in scientific journals to share valuable information to field researchers and conservationists and also to international organisations such as TRAFFIC, who closely monitor the illegal movements of pig-nosed turtles, particularly in SE-Asia where there is a lot of pressure on pig-nosed turtles.”

The remaining pig-nosed turtles at the Park will soon be joining those recently released. The second group to be released will also be radio tagged and tracked to monitor their movements when released.

(CEPA’s Wildlife, Trade & Enforcement Officer Nicho Gowep releasing a piku turtle)

Source : looppng.com

In this photograph taken on May 16, 2017 shows Indonesian custom officer displays a reptile at the custom offices near Jakarta International airport. A Japanese man believed to be a major wildlife smuggler has been arrested in Indonesia while trying to take hundreds of reptiles out of the archipelago, a conservation group said. (AFP/-)

Authorities in Papua province said they seized 2,227 of the palm-sized turtles which were stuffed into boxes on a boat docked in the remote town of Agats.

A  man has been arrested for trying to smuggle 2,000 endangered pig-nosed turtles, police said, marking the latest wildlife-trafficking arrest as the Southeast Asian nation battles the vast trade. Authorities in Papua province said they seized 2,227 of the palm-sized turtles which were stuffed into boxes on a boat docked in the remote town of Agats. “Officers saw a port worker carrying three big boxes and got suspicious,” Papua police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said late Thursday. “This is protected species and they are not for sale.” Following the discovery, police arrested another man believed to be involved in the trafficking bid. The port worker was not detained.

If convicted, the arrested man could face up to five years in prison and a 100 million rupiah ($7,000) fine, police said. It was not clear where the turtle shipment was headed. The pig-nosed turtle — which has a distinctive snout-like nose and webbed feet — is only found in Australia and New Guinea, an island shared between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and is protected under Indonesian conservation laws. Some turtle species are popular in China and elsewhere in Asia as food or for use in traditional medicine. In 2014, Indonesian officials rescued more than 8,000 baby pig-nosed turtles hidden in suitcases and thought to be destined for China and Singapore.

This year, smugglers were arrested in neighbouring Malaysia with some 3,300 endangered turtles aboard their boat. Indonesia, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands, is home to a kaleidoscope of exotic animals and plants, but the illegal trade in wildlife is rampant and laws aimed at providing protection are often poorly enforced. Numerous endangered species, from the Sumatran elephant to the Javan rhino, have been driven to the brink of extinction.

Reptiles would have been worth £28,000 in black market exotic pet trade

Some of the thousands of pig-nosed turtles seized after the Malaysian bust (Reuters)

Malaysia has seized 3,300 rare pig-nosed turtles after intercepting an attempt to smuggle the highly endangered species into the country by sea.

Seven packages of the turtles were found during a boat inspection near Johor on Malaysia’s southern coast on Wednesday.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which carried out the swoop, also said two people had been arrested.

Authorities believe the smugglers hoped to sell the aquatic reptiles as exotic pets.

Their unique snout-shaped nose has made them popular but also put them at risk.

Because of rising demand for the turtles – which can grow to 28cm in length and weigh up to 20kg – the species is becoming increasingly endangered.

As well as feeding the exotic pet trade, pig-nosed turtles are also hunted for meat and used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries.

One study by researchers at the University of Canberra in Australia estimated the global population of the turtles has plummeted by 50% since 1981.

A report in 2014 by the conservation group Traffic concluded as many as two million pig-nosed turtle eggs were collected each year, and more than 80,000 live turtles had been seized from smugglers between 2003 and 2013.

Malaysia is considered a major transit point for the illegal trafficking of endangered species to other parts of Asia.

Source : independent.co.uk