AIU recovers over 700 red-eared slider turtles at Kolkata Airport

Kolkata Customs officials recovered 707 red-eared slider turtles from a passenger arriving from Bangkok at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The invasive species, classified among the world’s worst invasive species, was seized as authorities investigated suspected wildlife smuggling

Kolkata: The officials of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Indian Customs Department, on Wednesday night, recovered over 700 red-eared slider turtles. The category of turtles classified as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species, was recovered from the luggage of a passenger coming from Bangkok at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Wednesday night.

It is learnt that a flight from Bangkok landed at the Kolkata Airport on Wednesday night and while a passenger from that flight was crossing the Green Channel, the AIU officials could feel the movements of some objects within his luggage.

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The AIU officials immediately detained that passenger and started searching his luggage. The search led to a total of 707 turtles being recovered from one of his bags. Later it was confirmed that these turtles belonged to the “red-eared slider” species.

The passenger has already been arrested on charges of promoting wildlife smuggling. The AIU officials are investigating where the live turtles were brought from and where they were being taken to. Red-eared sliders are in high demand in the Indian pet market essentially for two reasons.

First, since native Indian turtles are strictly protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, there is a demand for importing red-eared sliders through the illegal and unofficial route. Secondly, this species is in high demand in India because of its appealing red markings and easy maintainability as pets.

However, importing red-eared sliders carries a severe environmental threat because of the destructive and invasive nature of this species.

Wildlife activists feel that the main danger in the smuggling of red-eared sliders into India is that when released into waterbodies by overwhelmed pet owners, they compete with India’s 29 native freshwater turtle species for food, basking sites, and nesting habitats.

This species, being the known carriers of the Salmonella bacteria, also comes with direct health risks, especially for children. Keeping these factors in mind, the customs department follows a specific policy as regards to recovery of red-eared sliders.

In events of interception of such live species, they are fed, stabilized, and immediately deported back to their country of origin to prevent them from entering the Indian ecosystem.