congrats from the ABCDE gang

ya, at first it was hard to differenciate...
but now i can identify em by it's shell and the size

guys, check out today's NST page 8

Smuggler found with 1,460 star tortoises

Kuala Lumpur: Heavy luggage always spells trouble at airports, but for one Malaysian traveler, it was a case of a thousand protected tortoises too many.

Indian Customs officials arrested the ornamental fish trader on Tuesday night after he checked in a stroller bag and suitcase stuffed with 1,460 Indian star tortoises. It was the biggest single illegal consignment of the endangered tortoises they had seen

Customs officers stopped the Malaysian as he was headed for Immigration at the Chennai airport, Indian news reports said.

He reportedly told them that his bags contained only his personal belongings. Because he appeared nervous, the officers searched his baggage and found the live tortoises worth RM300,000

He has been handed over to the Forest Department for investigation.

The Malaysian could face several years behind bars if found guilty under India's Wildlife Protection Act, said Forest Range office K.S. Sathyamoorthy.

This is the second time a Malaysian has been arrested in Chennai for smuggling star tortoises. A year ago, another Malaysian was found with 350 star tortoises in his luggage, he said.

Judging from previous seizures, Malaysia is the main destination of star tortoise smugglers, said Sathyamoorthy, who is handling the investigation for the Chennai Wildlife Department.

Palm-sized, with pretty brown shells bearing beige star-like markings, hatchlings fetch about RM80 in pet shops, while larger ones sell for about RM150.

Trade in star tortoises is strictly regulated under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna

Their capture and sale is banned in India and Pakistan

P.S.
I typed this out quickly. Ignore the speelling mistakes (if any)

i tried google and found some old news

Star tortoise smuggling has declined, authorities claim

Wednesday, Sep 28, 2005
http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/28/stories/2005092816810300.htm

P. Oppili

Authorities seized 3,300 of the reptiles till September this year

CHENNAI: While wildlife activists express serious concern over the smuggling of star torrtoises, official statistics show that there has been a decrease in the number of cases of smuggling in the last two years. However, the number of star tortoises seized has gone up, officials claim.

The Wildlife officials have rescued 3,065 star tortoises during 2003 and the number has come down to 1,012 last year. Till September this year, the authorities have seized 3,300 star tortoises from the exit points and those abandoned.

The change is attributed to the increased vigil at the exit points such as airport and seaport.

The Wildlife authorities say that all the security agencies in both these places were well aware of the smuggling.

Hence, the security has been tightened at the exit points, they said.

However, they agreed that adequate protection is needed in the forest areas from where the specimens are collected systematically.

More in Chittoor

It is commonly believed that star tortoises are found abundantly in forests of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh; from there they are brought to the city and then smuggled to Singapore and Malaysia.

However, the officials say the tortoises are found in Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu and also in a few forest areas in Karnataka.

The star tortoises are collected between mid-January and February and from mid-July to November.

Authorities note that most of the seized star tortoises were collected from the wild.

But, one consignment of star tortoises recently seized by them led to the suspicion that the reptiles could have been hand-reared, as their shells were softer than the ones from the wild.

The star tortoises are sought for many reasons - to be used in traditional Chinese medicine, as a delicacy in South East Asian nations or to be reared as pets in the West.

The shells of adult reptiles are also used for making ornamental boxes, the authorities said.

Star tortoise smuggling `kingpin' in custody of wildlife authorities

Friday, Nov 25, 2005
http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/25/stories/2005112515060300.htm

Staff Reporter

Narayanan of Tondiarpet allegedly bought them from Andhra Pradeshshikaris

# Each specimen would fetch about Rs. 300
# `Star tortoises were smuggled mainly to be reared as pets'

CHENNAI: Wildlife department officials in the city have arrested the `kingpin' of the star tortoise smuggling racket to Malaysia in the last couple of years.

The wildlife authorities said Customs officials summoned R. Narayanan (25) of Tiruvalluvar Nagar, Tondiarpet, in connection with a drug smuggling case.

When they found out that he was not involved in the case they were handling, but was involved in the smuggling of star tortoises, they informed the Wildlife authorities, who took custody of Narayanan.

Preliminary investigation by the Wildlife authorities revealed that Narayanan used to buy star tortoises from `shikaris' from Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh, who collected the reptiles from the wild.

The Wildlife authorities said that each specimen would fetch about Rs 300, and were mainly sent to Malaysia. From Malaysia the reptiles would go to different destinations including Singapore and the U.S. They were smuggled mainly to be reared as pets, Narayanan told the officials.

Last year, he had received a consignment of 650 star tortoises from the shikaris of Andhra Pradesh and this year he received two consignments - 350 and 660. So far, he had purchased 1,660 star from the shikaris, which he then tried to smuggle to Malaysia through the carriers.

However, the consignments were seized at the airport and other places, the wildlife authorities said.

It was for the first time the authorities arrested a person directly involved in the smuggling of star tortoises.

A senior officer said, "With the arrest of one of the kingpins, more and more information about star tortoise smuggling should come to light."

This post has been edited by titansulcata: Sep 15 2006, 08:36 AM

meaning...

star Tortoise price akan naik lagi

...
The star tortoises are sought for many reasons - to be used in traditional Chinese medicine, as a delicacy in South East Asian nations or to be reared as pets in the West.
...
wah, for what purpose... guai leng gou???

i see urazi has put a post on the ppl active here...
why not add information like

poster:-
0.0.0 tortoise/turtle species
http://image gallery

e.g.

titansulcata:-
0.0.1 - African Sulcata Tortoise (Titan) - DOP: 2006.08.01
0.0.5 - Indian Star Tortoise (Alpha, Beta, Charlie, Delta, Epsilon) - DOP: 2006.09.12
MyTortoise Album


this is one way ppl can know what species we have and also to view the gallery

sorry wrong speeeling
If jabatan perhilitan wants to take action, they should start with pet shops... and if want to target end users like us... hard to track leh... need to go through a lot of parties...

next year my first year to give ang pow rugi

u want to appear in newspaper ah

this weekend will bring her to find her 'rolex'


use the chocolate tortoise technique and export out
*first post picture

geli

http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-6-19/42846.html

...
On December 10, 2001, Mr. Zhang, a factory owner, ordered a dish called "Indian star tortoise stewed with aweto". It was said that he was looking for a cure for his ailment, and Indian star tortoise was said to be effective in treating certain diseases. Indian star tortoise is a nationally protected animal. If it is for sale, it is being sold illegally. Thus it is very rare and expensive. Even the cultivated ones are sold for 12,000 yuan (US$1,498.35) per kilogram. Mr. Zhang had ordered one kilogram, for which our restaurant would charge him over 10,000 yuan (US$1,248.63). We also added on the cost of the precious aweto herbs.

After the Indian star tortoise was sent over, Rong called Mr. Zhang and asked him to come over and check it. Perhaps Mr. Zhang was reluctant to appear to be too picky, he hesitated. Rong urged, "Mr. Zhang, you have to come to give us some directions. Don't be so old-fashioned. Come and direct us." She flattered him as if he were a specialist. He arrived in high spirits. In order to set his mind at ease, Rong even weighed the tortoise while Mr. Zhang watched.

But the tortoise was not killed. Instead, it was sent back to the storeroom. Rong asked me not to leave after work. At 9:00 pm, after all the staff working in the kitchen had left, Rong asked me to lock the door of the kitchen. Then she took something out of the refrigerator and threw it on the floor. The thing was as hard as stone, and it made a loud thud when it hit the floor. I opened the package and found a dead tortoise inside. Rong laughed and said, "Ah Chang, this tortoise can earn you half a year's salary." Thanks to Rong's help, my salary at that time had been raised to 1200 yuan (US$150) a month. Rong then threw the dead tortoise into a basin, turned on the tap and let the water wash over the tortoise. After about an hour the tortoise had softened. When I fished it out of the basin, a bad smell hit me. I asked Rong to come and have a look. She looked at the dead tortoise, smelled it and frowned, "Oh, Mr. Zhang is in bad luck. He has to eat this stinking tortoise now. But who will eat it if he doesn't? Our boss had asked three shops before he could get this 'inferior item'. After exchanging the good tortoise with this one, we will earn at least 7,000 to 8,000 yuan (approximately US$875 to 1000)."

I was a little frightened. This is a business worth more than 10,000 yuan (US$1250). If Mr. Zhang finds out and rejects the tortoise, who will pay for it? Since he has spent so much we shouldn't give him something which would harm his health. I murmured, "Sometimes we need to demonstrate that we have a conscience." Rong looked at me for a while. Then she sighed, "This is not the time to talk about conscience. Our boss asked us to do this, and we must do what he says. We just have to. Ah Chang, it is true that people should have a conscience, but it really depends on the situation. If Mr. Zhang went to other restaurants, he would eat similar kinds of things. Don't those who want to get rich fake things? We've already tried our best. We are at least better than those who sell fake medicine. It won't make much difference to Mr. Zhang's health whether he eats this tortoise or not." I had nothing to say. After all, we are only carrying out our boss's orders. Why should I worry?

I started washing the tortoise. Rong asked me to discard all of the flesh on it. I couldn't believe what I heard. What shall he eat if all the meat is eliminated? Rong laughed at me and said, "The meat has all decayed. We would be really harming him if we let him eat the meat. So we have to get rid of it. The efficacy of the tortoise lies in its shell anyway. The shell is very hard to cook. After 20 to 30 hours of cooking, the shell won't be dissolved. The reason why I asked Mr. Zhang to come and check the tortoise was to gain his trust. The meat of the tortoise won't last that long. After 20 to 30 hours of cooking, the flesh would have dissolved into the soup. So removing the meat will prevent the bad taste in the soup. Otherwise our deception will be discovered." While she was talking, Rong had taken out some meat from an ordinary tortoise from the refrigerator and put it under the tap to wash. She said, "The meat of the ordinary tortoise can make our dish flawless. Mr. Zhang is really lucky this time. He bought only one tortoise but he will eat two! Of course, when I become rich in the future, I would rather die than eat this kind of thing!" She said laughing loudly. After picking all the meat from the shell of the Indian star tortoise, she stir-fried the shell three times with ginger and shallots. After washing it again, she tasted the shell to make sure there was no strange taste left. Then she put it into the pot to cook. After everything was done, she asked Uncle Chen who was on night duty to watch the tortoise soup and add in some water once in a while. It was 1:00 a.m. when we left.

At about 9:00 a.m. , the Indian star tortoise soup was sent to Mr. Zhang. Later, the cashier told me that Mr. Zhang was not a fool. He felt the soup was not as good as that served at the Tianshan restaurant. He also had loose bowels after he ate our dish. So he phoned our restaurant to complain, exclaiming that he wanted to be reimbursed 3,000 yuan. Our boss summoned Rong to find out what had happened. She came back looking very unhappy.

Four days later, I didn't see Chef Ah Bing. I asked around and was told that he had been fired the previous evening. It was said that a lot of customers had complained about our soups recently. I knew that the true problem was related to the tortoise soup. The boss didn't know that the soup was actually cooked by Rong and me, nor did Ah Bing know that his dismissal was caused by a pot of soup that he had not cooked. So Ah Bing was a victim of our deviousness. No matter what, the restaurant still made a profit through selling this tortoise soup, even if it was less than expected.

I didn't dare tell anyone what we had done. I felt dreadful for continuing to work with Rong. I might end up being a scapegoat for her in the future. I wanted to get away from her. So I started to keep my distance, and often found faults with her, which Rong noticed.

I was subsequently fired.

mind to share a bit more info...

never mind, not the end of the road yet mate...
Good news = can buy more tortoises and no girl will stop u

wah the new one also roughly same size
btw, your bedding like tak cukup leh...

The Leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) is a large, grazing species of tortoise that favors semi-arid (not dry), thorny to grassland habitats. On average, they are about 40-45 cm (16-18 inches) long and weigh 18-23 kg (40-50 pounds) (although some reach up to 60 cm (24 inches) and 32 kg (70 lbs)). They generally have a life span of 50 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_Tortoise

yalar, leopard can grow big. and when they grow big, their leopard marking won't be that sharp... star is so much cuter

well, it will not grow big overnight... it will take years.

for sulcata, based on size... it is still possible to keep em indoor until it is 5 to 7 years old+ (i think)... by the time when it has to be kept outdoor...look at it as if u are rearing a dog with different requirements

no sun? no problem, buy UVB bulb/lamp lor

will u be staying in the apartment after 5 years? time to buy/rent landed property then lor

actually, if u r afraid of size, just get a star... it will not grow that big and can be kept indoor all the time

i bought mine in pet safari (ikano) at rm500

as of last week, they still have one sulcata left. Not sure now la

let us know when u have em ya... my next target 2 radiata hatchling

I have these 2 types of calcium powder

http://mytortoise.multiply.com/photos/photo/5/43
or
http://mytortoise.multiply.com/photos/photo/5/23

i was browsing another forum and found this...
http://invisionfree.com/forums/Happy_Turtl...showtopic=11346

this turtle gheng... one year only... the turtle grow so much bigger

note: same cup

my wife ah, still looking around for the watch. haven choose yet

but last weekend i got wat by her, she wat me to buy her 2 jigsaw puzzle with frame which cost nearly my sulcata. she said this is a warning. if i want more tortoise, i need to buy her gift valued roughly the same price as the tortoise

she must have think i print money sigh

not sure whether this is consider playing...

for me, when i've got the time i'll let them walk at my front house compound.

Other than that, sometimes i hand feed them. Feels nice when they eat from my hands

i'm now at eighty-eight marine akuarium (jln pandan indah 4/10 cheras)

they have 3 sulcata hatchling selling at $580

quite a lot of star tortoise. Hatchling and juvenile ($98 to $160)

they have egyptian, russian, greek, hungeback tortoises too (all these around $300 to $400)

also one very big red/yellow foot tortoise. Not sure red or yellow. Guessing. But very big