Fetching prices of up to $2,000 each, a man stood to profit grandly if he managed to successfully smuggle in 22 Indian star tortoises across the border.
Fortunately for the 22 endangered critters, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers uncovered and rescued them from a 49-year-old Singaporean man who attempted to illegally import them across Woodlands Checkpoint. The live tortoises had been kept in a bag, which was placed amongst other cartons of groceries in the car boot.
The man was nabbed, while the tortoises were handed over to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA). Don’t worry, they’re safe under the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore now.
Distinguished by the distinct markings on their shells, the terrestrial creatures are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), for which Singapore is a signatory.
Despite the prohibition, quite a number of people managed to get their hands on star tortoises to keep as pets. Some have been stupid enough to assume that tortoises can swim (they’re land-dwelling), according to an old STOMP report from 2009 — one abandoned star tortoise was found dead and floating near Labrador Park.
