QUOTE(titansulcata @ Oct 6 2006, 08:19 PM)
here's the news
KUALA LUMPUR: Tortoises from India and snakes and lizards from Africa and Latin America are finding their way into more Malaysian homes.
And as the demand for exotic pets grows, so too the list of prized wildlife.
However, many people do not realise that a number of these animals are on the endangered list.
While some are imported, most of these are captured from the wild and smuggled into the country.
The Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), for example, is taken from the wild in India, where it is protected, and brought in by smugglers.
This tortoise is among the many exotic pets that are being sold in the Klang Valley.
We visited one pet shop in Mutiara Damansara and asked the owner about Star tortoises...............
In 2004, Traffic Southeast Asia released the report Demand Driven: The Trade of Indian Star Tortoises, Geochelone elegans in Peninsular Malaysia, which highlighted Malaysia as a major hub in the international illegal trade of this species.
The study's survey of 31 pet stores in Kuala Lumpur found more than three-quarters of them sold the tortoises. The reptiles are often dehydrated, bound with tape and stuffed into stockings to limit movement when smuggled into the country. Many do not survive the journey.
Those who keep Indian Star Tortoises, now you all know what kind of pets you all keep.KUALA LUMPUR: Tortoises from India and snakes and lizards from Africa and Latin America are finding their way into more Malaysian homes.
And as the demand for exotic pets grows, so too the list of prized wildlife.
However, many people do not realise that a number of these animals are on the endangered list.
While some are imported, most of these are captured from the wild and smuggled into the country.
The Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), for example, is taken from the wild in India, where it is protected, and brought in by smugglers.
This tortoise is among the many exotic pets that are being sold in the Klang Valley.
We visited one pet shop in Mutiara Damansara and asked the owner about Star tortoises...............
In 2004, Traffic Southeast Asia released the report Demand Driven: The Trade of Indian Star Tortoises, Geochelone elegans in Peninsular Malaysia, which highlighted Malaysia as a major hub in the international illegal trade of this species.
The study's survey of 31 pet stores in Kuala Lumpur found more than three-quarters of them sold the tortoises. The reptiles are often dehydrated, bound with tape and stuffed into stockings to limit movement when smuggled into the country. Many do not survive the journey.
This post has been edited by Gnoof: Oct 6 2006, 08:44 PM
Oct 6 2006, 08:35 PM
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