60 live star tortoises seized at KIA

BENGALURU: Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport have seized 60 live star tortoises which were being smuggled to Bangkok.

The star tortoises were discovered when the check-in baggage was being scanned. The seized animals were later handed over to the Forest Department.

Star tortoises are sold illegally as they are believed to have aphrodisiac properties and their body parts are also used in traditional medicine. The reptiles are collected by villagers and sold to middlemen, who then pass them on to organised traffickers to them out of the country, especially to Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and other wildlife trade hubs.

The star tortoise is Schedule IV species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is illegal to keep them as pets or trade them commercially.