Mumbai: Twenty Indian roofed turtles and a parrot were seized from Crawford Market on Saturday in a joint raid conducted by state forest department, Wildlife Mumbai and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the help of an animal welfare NGO.
One person identified as Bilal Mohd Hanif Shaikh (29) was arrested for illegal wildlife trade.
After seizing the roofed turtles from the accused man, his house was also searched from where the caged parrot was found, informed a city range forest officer (RFO), Yuvraj Gite.
Sunish Subramanian Kunju, honorary wildlife warden who was part of raiding team, said, “Despite of strict laws and after the search at his home it seems that accused was involved in this trade since long time and also involved in other wildlife cases in recent past.”
Indian roofed turtle is protected under Schedule I and parrot is protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Animal rights groups have consistently urged citizens not to buy such wildlife species as pets, since not only is it illegal, but there is animal cruelty involved in these rackets.
“Baby parrots are poached from the jungles, tearing them away from their natural mothers, and smuggled into cities in tiny boxes to be sold as pets. If people understand this and refuse to buy these wildlife species, then this illegal trade can be crushed,” said Mr Kunju.
Just last week, the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) had conducted multiple raids in the city including Crawford Market to seize hundreds of exotic birds and other rare wildlife species.
What is indian roofed turtle?
The Indian roofed turtle (Pangshura tecta) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It can be distinguished by the distinct "roof" at the topmost part of the shell. It is found in the major rivers of South Asia. It is a common pet in the Indian Subcontinent.
