Malagasy police search for Tanzanian accused of trafficking tortoises
What you need to know:
- The police say about 104 radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) were found at the man’s residence in Isotry, a suburb in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo. The 47-year-old man was identified as Mr Jalal Sathik Batcha.
- “The reptiles appeared ready for transit,” the police said. Radiated tortoises are endemic to Madagascar, and are listed as critically endangered on International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching and habitat loss.
Antananarivo. Malagasy police are searching for a Tanzanian national alleged to be trafficking endangered tortoises from the southern Africa island nation.
The police say about 104 radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) were found at the man’s residence in Isotry, a suburb in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo. The 47-year-old man was identified as Mr Jalal Sathik Batcha.
“The reptiles appeared ready for transit,” the police said. Radiated tortoises are endemic to Madagascar, and are listed as critically endangered on International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching and habitat loss.
“Madagascar loses about $230 million due to trafficking of reptiles,” said Dr Tsibara Mbohoahy, a lecturer at Toliara University, during a science forum in Antananarivo last week. He said he analysed data of about 26 reptile species illegally exported from Madagascar between 2000 and 2013.
According to Dr Mbohoahy, 43 per cent of the reptiles were terrestrial tortoises including the Astrochelys radiata species. The tortoises are usually sought after by collectors especially from Asian countries. The police handed over the 104 reptiles to the Turtle Survival Alliance, a conservation organisation.
