Investigation efforts should be focused on dominant nodes in the illicit trade networks identified in the study
Indian flapshell turtle. Photo: Anirban Chaudhuri_ Tortoise or hard-shell turtles from India are traded to more places globally and through a wider trafficking network than soft-shell turtles, according to a new report. The former is mostly traded as pets while the latter for meat, primarily within the country.
The first-of-its-kind study compared the supply networks of tortoise or hard-shell turtles and soft-shell turtles based on 78 and 64 seizures, respectively, reported in the media during 2013 to 2019.
The findings were published in Oryx — The International Journal of Conservation September 21, 2023.
The structure of the trafficking networks of tortoises and freshwater turtles varied based on demand, the authors of the paper noted.
The smuggling racket of tortoises / hard-shell turtles were found to be much wider than the soft-shell turtles. The connections of the former were spread across a wider geographical area than the latter, the findings showed.
The trade network for pet turtles was also observed to be more organised than that for soft-shell turtles sold for meat. “The greater geographical scale and the presence of larger numbers of international trafficking links in tortoise/hard-shell trafficking could indicate the involvement of transnational criminal gangs,” according to the authors of From pets to plates: Network analysis of trafficking in tortoises and freshwater turtles representing different types of demand.
The illegally traded tortoise / hard-shell turtles were often found to be transported by air, which indicated corruption at entry and exit points, the reseachers wrote. Involvement of corrupt officials have been previously recorded in the illegal movement of ivory and Indian star tortoise out of the country, they said, adding:
Additionally, a lack of training on and awareness of illegal wildlife trade amongst enforcement authorities at entry / exit points and a lack of functional scanning equipment may also facilitate trafficking via airports.
“In addition, we observed convoluted smuggling routes in the form of two-way trafficking of tortoise/hard-shell turtles between specific exit points within the country, such as between Chennai and Bengaluru,” the authors noted.
These patterns are in contrast with the illegal trade network of soft-shell turtles. These varieties are mostly sold domestically through train routes or by road, the findings showed.
Moreover, “the unidirectional links for soft-shell turtle trafficking indicate a simpler supply chain from source to destination, potentially necessitating less organisation,” according to the authors of the report.
The important trading stops in the case of tortoise / hard-shell turtles were all located in large, well-connected state capitals like Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore. From here, the consignments moved to other “nodes” within India or abroad.
Chennai emerged as the most central node in tortoise / hard-shell turtle trafficking, ranking as the top exporting and intermediary district, as well as being the key player with the highest potential to disrupt the network when removed, the authors found.
“North 24 Parganas is also an important conduit in the land route of tortoises and hard-shell turtles being smuggled from India to Bangladesh and onwards to Southeast Asia,” they added.
Other nodes of importance included Sri Lanka, West Bengal and Delhi, it added.
In contrast, nodes for both supply and import of soft-shell turtles for meat trade were predominantly within the country, indicating that the trade was domestic, the report noted.
Varanasi, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur and Amethi lying along the Gangetic plain of Uttar Pradesh were found to be the key supply districts of soft-shell turtles, the findings showed.
“North 24 Parganas re-emerged as an important hub of soft-shell turtle trafficking, with high incoming and outgoing volumes of these turtles,” the researchers wrote.
The district shares a 280 kilometre border with Bangladesh and is notorious for other illegal trades as well, including human trafficking, the authors added.
The findings can help authorities curb such illicit practises and protect the population of these species, some of which are endangered.
The authors called for “inter-agency collaboration and the involvement of expertise from cybercrime and financial crime departments” to curb the menace.
Given that there were more dominant nodes in the tortoise / hard-shell turtle network in terms of outgoing trafficking links, interdiction and investigative efforts should be focused on these nodes, they said. “Surveillance at transportation facilities such as airports and seaports, railway stations, toll plazas and bus stations could be strengthened within these exporting / transit nodes.”
Infrastructure such as warehouses, storage facilities, captive breeding facilities or illegal hatcheries that may facilitate the trade should also be investigated, the researchers suggested.
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