Critically endangered hill yellow tortoises are still being seen for sale at hill markets in Khagrachhari. In the latest case, the Forest Department rescued one that had been brought for sale to Boalkhali bazar in Dighinala upazila.

The rescue was confirmed by Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, director of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU).

The tortoise was brought for sale to the Zafar Store area of Boalkhali bazar in Dighinala on the afternoon of 8 July. Some volunteers working on local wildlife conservation noticed it and contacted the Forest Department.

On being informed, Mohammad Zafar Ullah, deputy range officer of the Forest Department's Merung range, went to the spot and recovered the tortoise from inside an abandoned fish drum.

"As the tortoise belongs to a critically endangered species, it has been taken into the Forest Department's custody," Zafar Ullah said. "After the necessary health checks, it will be released into a suitable natural habitat."

The man who brought the tortoise to sell said: "I had no idea it was a critically endangered species. I caught it and brought it to the market to sell without understanding that."

The hill yellow tortoise is found in the hill forests of Bangladesh and in various countries of South and South-East Asia. Its numbers are falling fast because of deforestation, illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the hill yellow tortoise as critically endangered on its Red List. According to the organisation, the species is at extreme risk of extinction because of habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.