Unabated trafficking of all kinds of turtles by the wildlife smugglers with the help of members from Kanjar, a nomadic tribe in Uttar Pradesh’s four districts Etawah, Mainpuri, Amethi, and Sultanpur, continues to keep the law enforcement agencies on their toes even as activists have urgently called for the sensitization and rehabilitation of this community for a dignified livelihood.
For a long time, the Kanjar community in the region have been smuggling the endangered species which has a huge demand as pets and meat in the international market.
Lately, sleuths from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the country’s top wildlife crime control agency under the Union Environment Ministry have found the emergence of trade in calipee, a fatty substance present over the lower shell of the turtles in China and other Southeast Asian countries (via the Indo-Bangla border) misinformed by carriers as trees Bark being used for making local herbs.
“This product is used as an ingredient in soups and traditional medicines in these countries,” said an official from the WCCB. He said that they have seized a huge cache of 569 kg of dry turtles in the last five years in the country with maximum arrest from Uttar Pradesh which has become a hub of wildlife topping the list of arrests of criminals.
“Since 2018 to 2021, as per available inputs, 565 Kgs of dried Turtle Calipee was seized across the country with a major chunk recovered from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal at Railway Stations or inside the trains.
“A consignment of 9 Kgs of tortoise shells en route to Bangladesh was seized near Border Post under police station Gangarampur of Dakshin Dinajpur district, West Bengal. In December 2021, 80 Kgs of turtle calipee were seized from Sultanpur, UP. This year, three cases of smuggling of turtle calipee were detected. All such seizures indicate that the Calipee is collected from UP and then transported from UP to West Bengal by carriers mostly from the Kanjar Community by trains to be finally smuggled to Bangladesh,” said the officials about their modus operandi and extent of poaching.
Most traders are from West Bengal and pay a petty amount to fishermen and members of the Kanjar. The turtle meat is consumed or sold locally while their calipees are removed, boiled, and dried for further transportation. The calipee is carried by carriers in plastic sacks or carries bags mostly through passenger trains. The trains are usually boarded by the carriers at various halting points before the main station or junction to avoid luggage checking. Railway tickets are booked online or arranged by associates at stations. “A recent trend of using women carriers by the calipee traders has been observed. The consignment is carried by women carriers being accompanied by male counterparts,” revealed the official.
Renu Singh from Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University, Noida feels that community rehabilitation in a purposeful vacation would help check poaching. In her report, “Socio-Economic survey in relation to trade of turtles in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, India,” she too noted that hunting and trafficking of wildlife, especially turtles, has increased many folds during the last few years in Uttar Pradesh.
However, since there is no alternative mode of employment and the skills they have, make them dependent on wildlife for their livelihood. Due to this dependence, these people get involved in wildlife crime, says the report which gives a detailed description of their daily life and earnings through wildlife offences.
The most trafficked species of turtles recorded were Indian Softshell Turtle and Indian Flap-shell Turtle. Overall, India has 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of which 25 have been included in the IUCN category and also included under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972), indicating an action plan is needed for the protection of the species, says Renu Singh in her report.