On a recent December night, Bangladesh’s Forest Department wildlife inspectors, acting on a tip-off, intercepted an intercity bus in the capital, Dhaka, and discovered two crates full of live turtles in the luggage compartment.
When questioned, the bus operators stated that the consignment was destined for Sherpur in the northern district of Bogura, approximately 270 kilometers from the Cumilla Highway where it had been loaded. "Every day, similar consignments are transported along this route," said Siddikul Islam, the bus driver.
Following the raid on December 30, the wildlife inspectors tracked down a temporary turtle storage warehouse at a wet market in Chandpur, a riverine district neighboring Cumilla. There, they seized 280 kilograms of Indian Roofed Turtles (Pangshura tecta), Yellow Turtles (Morenia petersi), and Spotted Flapshell Turtles (Lissemys punctata); all are scheduled wildlife under the Wildlife (Conservation and Protection) Act 2012.
Earlier, on December 10, the Forest Department raided another temporary storage warehouse in Chandpur and seized 800 kilograms of turtles belonging to the same three freshwater species.
Sanaullah Patwary, Director of the Forest Department’s Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU), expressed grave concern, telling Mongabay that the seizure of such large quantities of smuggled turtles within just 20 days indicates an alarming expansion of the illegal turtle trade in Bangladesh.
Despite a ban on turtle trading since 1998, the hunting and smuggling of freshwater turtles have persisted for years, catering to limited local consumption and illicit trafficking to neighboring India. However, the smuggling routes, particularly those connecting sourcing locations to other distant parts of the country, have raised speculation on bigger threat.
"Many foreigners are in Bangladesh working on mega infrastructure projects. We suspect that their demand for turtle meat may have contributed to this increase," Sanaullah said.
Market expands amid new consumers
Bangladesh, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers and dotted with water bodies such as canals, streams, estuaries, beels, ponds, ditches, and even hilly streams and pools, provides diverse habitats for wildlife, including turtles.
The available studies suggest that professional hunting groups catch turtles from the water bodies or near the turtle nests, store them in temporary warehouses, and transport them mainly to Dhaka and a few other districts.
Here, some ethnic communities, primarily Hindus and Christians, consume turtle meat as part of their traditional festive diet. Additionally, turtle meat is sold in certain posh areas of Dhaka where foreigners reside.
A decade-old study highlighted common destinations for live turtle supply, including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Gopalganj, and Madaripur.
The study also identified certain freshwater turtle species frequently traded. These included the Ganges Softshell Turtle (Aspideretes gangeticus) and Spotted Pond Turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii), both were assessed as endangered, and the Yellow Turtle (Morenia petersi), categorized as near-threatened in the IUCN Red List 2015. Other species included Indian Roofed Turtles (Pangshura tecta) and Peacock Softshell Turtles (Aspideretes hurum).
A study in 1990 found common trade of some freshwater turtles including Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle (Chitra indica), River Terrapin (Batagur baska, Sylhet Roofed Turtle (Kachuga sylhetensis), and Brahminy River Turtle (Hardella thurjii). All the mentioned species were assessed as critically endangered and endangered, respectively, in the IUCN Red List 2015.
Wildlife inspectors Ashim Mallick and Abdullah AS. Sadique, who participated in the Chandpur raids, reported recsuing more than 1,300 live freshwater turtles of Indian Roofed Turtles (Pangshura tecta), Yellow Turtles (Morenia petersi), and Spotted Flapshell Turtles (Lissemys punctata), which are prohibited from hunting as per the Wildlife (Conservation and Protection) Act.
Referring to residents neighboring the raided places, the wildlife inspectors said a group of smugglers linked to professional hunters has been operating this illegal trade for years under the guise of eel (Kuchia) farming and trading.
The smugglers were transporting the turtles to Sherpur in Bogura via Dhaka. Sherpur is a key junction for regional road communications connected to northern districts such as Rangpur and Dinajpur, where Chinese firms are engaged in various projects, including road construction.
Meanwhile, nearby Pabna district hosts a significant Russian workforce involved in building the country’s first nuclear power plant.
"Given the presence of foreigners in northern and other parts of Bangladesh, we suspect the market for turtle meat has expanded. We have preliminary evidence that live turtles and trophies, including carapaces, are being smuggled to India from northern border districts," said Ashim Mallick.
Pushing freshwater turtles toward extinction
The IUCN Red List 2015 assessed 30 testudines in Bangladesh, with 22 species categorized as threatened and four as near-threatened.
Shafique Haider Chowdhury, a retired zoology professor at Chittagong University and technical reviewer of the 2015 Red List, warns that habitat loss and hunting for the meat market could push even currently stable turtle populations into threatened categories.
Freshwater turtles in Bangladesh are primarily aquatic, coming ashore only to lay eggs. Most are omnivorous or carnivorous, feeding on carcasses, diseased, and weakened aquatic organisms, thereby playing a vital role in reducing pollution and maintaining ecological balance.
Shafique expressed concern that while Indian Roofed Turtles and Spotted Flapshell Turtles were assessed as Least Concern in 2015, unchecked smuggling could soon move them into threatened categories.
“It would not be surprising if the next Red List, expected to start assessment in late 2025, categorizes all remaining turtle species as threatened,” he said.
WCCU Director Sanaullah noted that commercial fish farming has destroyed much of the habitat for turtles and other crucial aquatic species in Bangladesh, particularly in the northern regions.
Echoing Shafique, he added, “We need support from civic groups to stop turtle smuggling. Otherwise, these species will become extinct.”
Citation:
Shamsurrahman, M & Mamun, Abdullah-Al & Rahman, Maksudur & Hossain, M. Belal & Minar, Maruf & Maheen, Nusrat. American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research 8(1): 15-23, 2013, ISSN 1818-6785, © IDOSI Publications, 2013
DOI: https://www.idosi.org/aejsr/8%281%2913/3.pdf
Das, Indraneil. (1990). The trade in freshwater turtles from Bangladesh. Oryx. 24. 163 - 166.
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605300033895.
*Mongabay published the original story. Link: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/illegal-trade-is-pushing-bangladeshs-freshwater-turtles-to-the-brink/
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