Nice to have someone to note that.

Star tortoise is protected under CITES Appendix II, India's Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Sri Lanka's Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of 1938 and Pakistan's Sind Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1972 BUT NOT Perhilitan's Protection of Wild Life Act 1972. In plain English, the tortoises are protected from international trade and in their native range but not here in Malaysia.

All these while, although the authorities knew that those tortoises are smuggled in, there is no single act of law that could implicate the offenders. But things are going to change real soon.

To those who still have not applied for the permission to keep *CITES-listed animals under the new INTESA rules, please contact your nearest Perhilitan office as soon as possible to get your animals **legalized. And please note that this permission is strictly for private keepers, not traders.

Thank you.

*refer to CITES website. don't ask me to list them all, as there are tonnes of them.
** at your own risk, thank you.

This post has been edited by camillenoir: May 18 2010, 01:02 PM

Anyone know if someone already successfully applied for Permit to Keep Star Tortoise? I mean for private keepers who bought online.

Based on INTESA, Cuora Amboinensis is in AppendixII also!!
Means I have to apply permit also...??!! Sad lar..tmrw gonna call to double check.
Looking at the list , it covers a lot of the exotic turtles species sold during last few years. Means a lot of people will be affected.

So, the grace period given may be safe to apply??
Perhilitan could not confirm to me that applicants will be safe..there goes my confidence.

How?

we've been going to vets for like... for ever, seen dr vellayan and seen dr jenny too but nothing made much difference... they were eating voraciously actually, juz never absorbing nutrients... the weirdest part is that one was dead with her eyes wide open in stare, like caught in the moment, while the other had her head pointing upward, neck stiff... like it has a shock or something.... weird.... sigh

If in another "1st world" country during so call grace period applicant n pets will be safe but we are in "3rd word" country in regards to these !!

When you bring something more valuable ie radiated they may see $$$$ n bring out many so call by-law n ..........etc as what most people will likely to encounter on BolehLand when dealing with some department !!! - blur blur , sudden announcement without proper planning leave many loophole for their officers to trap applicants .....etc

Prove me wrong and try and apply for a pair of Radiated tortoise permit and I buy it off you for say rm 3000!!! Or triple that for a Yniphoras'
*permit must be good for breeding

we need to attract the attention of the mass media towards the matter.

once it come under public scrutiny, i.e. in the The Star etc with proper response from the director, those ikan bilis could not simply bend the law towards their liking.

This post has been edited by camillenoir: May 18 2010, 10:13 PM

Mass media.....that's a very good idea.

If can get The Star newspaper to write an article...any sifu here would like to contribute info and talk about the predicament of MY's thousands of pet lovers with the reporter or writer?
But this may compromise the sifu's "safety", if u know what I mean.
Since June 28 is approaching, is makes sense for The Star to write an article covering the impending Wildlife Law....
I am sure many people would be happy if applicants' "safety" can be confirmed publicly by some higher authority.

Just thinking...if many people write in to The Star to write an article on this topic ..would it succeed?
Approach MPs?? ...would they even help?

Who is working in the newpapers companies?


This post has been edited by Ben99: May 18 2010, 11:19 PM

no need to ask the star to make an article on the matter.

we could always send letters via email to the editor to be published in the views section. the more the merrier, so that they will take this problem seriously.

i've checked the application status for the special permit - seems that some goverment agencies had also failed in obtaining theirs.

If all else failed, just throw them pets into the local jungle. Let them have some work to do...

Called Perhilitan today.
Cuora Amboinensis also have to apply for permit.....sheesh.

The person on the line said to download this form SKK1 to apply 1st. ( but I cannot find the download icon...maybe need to register as user 1st..)

Next she said we apply using the Form and then they will file it.
Once Perhilitan receives a notice / letter from Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE)...they will notify the applicant to pay the fees because at the moment, the Act is still not in effect.

From what she said ( and also her boss previously ) if no notice or letter is received, the 28 June may be, just may be will be delayed.....this is really inefficient and not clear communication from the G.


Regarding releasing into the wild....not really a good idea. I have released adult Ambos into a pond behind my home....some damn anglers fished them up and sold to the pets shops.....this really pisses me off.

Others people released the RESes for religious merit.

The last count...there were almost 10 adult RES and Ambos in the pond...now is ZERO!!!

I was hoping for baby turtles to turn up.

An uncle who is a regular angler told me some kids did it. He asked them to release back into the pond and they told him...."I can sell to pet shop for $$".

So, you see, what you release, others profit from it. It sucks!!
Why can't people just leave them be?!

This post has been edited by Ben99: May 19 2010, 01:55 PM

nah, azazel's point is totally legit.

it is much more convenient for keepers to just release animals into the wild rather than face legal consequences. plain and simple.

if they (wildlife people) had any idea on the real issue at hand, they would've figured out that much by now.

besides, who cares about some kids making RM10 out of a boxie when it can save their asses thousands of RM?

From Kopitiam


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0A77rohcyg...player_embedded

This post has been edited by auhckw: May 19 2010, 03:59 PM

Well, I do agree that to save thousands of RM in fines, the best and easiest way is to release into the wild.
I would do that too. Still thinking what to do with my 2 Juvi Ambos.

Personally for me, if i release my pet turtles into the wild ( ie. the pond ), I would love for them to live there, procreate and have lots of babies.
Call me crazy, but since childhood, I have always had this fascination with creating a colony of turtles or fishes in a pond/area....if anyone spoils my plan then I will be annoyed.....anyway that's just me and my crazy idea.
I also feel sorry for those Ambos kept under deplorable conditions at those pet shops near my house...many lost some scutes and badly diseased and without water.
Hope that with INTESA all these stuff will be phased out. But should not penalise the true pet lovers...Sigh.


Point 2:-
Releasing invasive species is not recommended. Bad for the ecosystem.
My personal experience, the pond used to have a self sustaining colony of gambusia (guppies), catfish and soon hock about 3 years ago.
Then someone released jaguar cichlids and flower horn into the pond.
Now, not a single guppy is left.
Even the local ghost shrimps, which I used to easily get 5 to 6 shrimps in 1 scoop, now I get 1 shrimp with 6 to 7 scoop of the net ( I am not kidding ).
After that, someone released peacock cichlids, now other than the peacock cichlids, I seldom see the anglers catch the flower horns and jaguar chilids for the last 1 year.

Err... What are u saying? we need License to raise Star??? WTH???

Daniel,
your pignose turtle is Carettochelys insculpta?
The above is Cites App.II

Yes, i saw his 1. I got 1 too. What should we do abt it?

This post has been edited by Stortoise: May 20 2010, 08:22 AM

Found something interesting in Adpost today !! Link as below

Title - WANTED: Looking for a 3" to 6" Yniphora Tortoise
Description
Currently in search of a 3" to 6" Yniphora Tortoise. Tortoise will need to be exported into the U.S. with the proper permits. I am currently in the process of obtaining the proper permits to import them into the U.S. I should have these permits in a very short period of time and will then be ready to accept a shipment.


http://www.adpost.com/my/pets/39683/

------------------------------------------
USA willing to bend the rule to allow WC unknown origin CITES I animals in thru a third/transit country ??

could be a detour for those who pm him. no one knows for sure.

Haha just curious !!

Who has legal Yni anywhere in this part of the world !! Some US , Europe and a few north Asian Zoo / Park maybe but doubt any for sale ever !!

If some stupid player/keeper/seller contact them and got caught maybe a first to legalised some Yni in our country !!

----------------------------------------------------

Anyway how hard is it to keep and propagate this paticular sp ?? Except for few eggs per clutch and long maybe not so long incubation period ......etc HOW HARD COULD THEY BE ????

CITES, for most part, is overrated. yniphora is critically endangered, yes, but not because of pet trade, but rather out of shrinking habitat.

if not for those so-called smugglers and self-funded illegal breeders, some of the world's most endangered species would've perished in their own native range due to development, deforestation etc.

that is a fact that perhilitan could never understand, given their rate of failure in ex-situ breeding and their lack of interest to initiate any serious one with the reptiles, even with government funding.

Sam, i will take that as a great news from your side. haha. congrats on that.

cam, they can be made to understand of all the above points. Given that " you help them, they help you"