Illegal poaching is “raging out of control” and pushing radiated and ploughshare tortoises to the brink of extinction, according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The ploughshare tortoise, found only in Madagascar, is being collected out of existence by illegal wildlife traffickers.
CREDIT: Turtle Conservancy
It was reported that more than 1,000 of the animals have been confiscated from smugglers in the first three months of 2013 alone! A total of 54 ploughshare tortoises were intercepted in Thailand, and the species is “now the most common tortoise for sale in Bangkok’s infamous Chatuchak wildlife market,” according to the statement.
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