Posted on 29 July 2011
Antananarivo, Madagascar. July 29, 2011
– Two men are on trial in Antananarivo for
trying to smuggle nearly 200 of some of
the world’s rarest
tortoises out of the country.
Malagasy authorities arrested a local man
and an Indian national at Ivato Airport
in Antananarivo on Monday morning just before
they were to depart for Nairobi. 195 endemic
baby tortoises and one adult Ploughshare
tortoise were found inside three suitcases
which had managed to bypass airport security
but were then scanned just in time to allow
authorities to make the arrests.
WWF Regional Representative
in Madagascar Richard Hughes said “We applaud
the government and authorities for the increased
vigilance in enforcing the law, as in this
case, and encourage that this and other
cases be followed through to full and effective
prosecution.”
“The Malagasy Transitional
Government has recently shown signs of a
political will to address trafficking issues,
especially for precious woods such as rosewood
and ebony” says Ndranto Razakamanarina,
WWF Policy Advisor in Madagascar.
“This political will
should be extended to the enforcement of
Malagasy law and all crimes against protected
species endemic to Madagascar such as tortoises.
“
Three Main Threats
A WWF survey published last year showed
that ten or more zebu carts filled with
around 1000 tortoises each are leaving the
Mahafaly Plateau in south Madagascar every
week, and pointed to ongoing political instability
as the driver for the large jump in illegal
collection of Spider Tortoises and Radiated
Tortoises.
Madagascar’s endemic tortoises face three
main threats. International commercial trade
in Spider Tortoises, Ploughshare Tortoises
or Radiated Tortoises is already banned
by the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES), but they
are still being heavily exploited to satisfy
demand in Asia and Europe where they are
being sold as pets.
WWF estimates that as many as 60,000 tortoises
are being extracted from the wild every
year.
Radiated tortoises are also eaten by the
local population, especially during Easter,
Independence Day and Christmas, but with
increased poverty and food insecurity consumption
is on the rise. Lastly, their habitat is
being destroyed because of the ongoing cutting
and burning of Malagasy forests.
High risk of extinction
Two species of tortoises endemic to the
south and south-east of Madagascar, the
radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)
and the spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides),
are part of the flagship species of the
spiny forest eco-region. They are at a high
risk of extinction if the current rate of
poaching continues.
Aware of this tragic possibility, WWF MWIOPO
(Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Programme
Office) developed an action plan for the
conservation of these two tortoise species
in 2010.
These actions have already
produced encouraging results in WWF project
sites. From December 2010 to January 2011,
393 tortoises - 277 radiated tortoises and
116 spider tortoises, destined for international
trafficking were seized by forest service
officers and members of the police force.
Nevertheless, seizures
like the one last Monday show that endemic
Malagasy tortoises are still leaving the
country illegally and despite the efforts
of authorities most are probably going unnoticed.
“It is saddening to
see Madagascar’s natural resources leave
the country at such a high rate” says Richard
Hughes. "The middle-men and traffickers
are exploiting the local populations, to
the detriment of the country's natural riches."
“The laws are in place, but weak enforcement,
penalties out of proportion to the money
at stake in illegal trafficking, and opportunities
for corruption have rendered them largely
ineffective.”
Ndranto Razakamanarina
adds “Strong measures should be taken to
ensure that the application of penalties
is effective and appropriate and that there
is no possibility of compromise or exception.”
