The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), one of the most beautiful tortoises in all of Asia, is sadly disappearing from the India landscape. Escalating illegal poaching of the tortoise has led to its rapid decline over the past 20 years. Though there are multiple reasons for the dwindling population, the primary culprits are poachers and smugglers seeking to fulfill the demand of the illegal international pet trade. The magnitude of the problem is staggering.
In recent years, roughly 25,000 star tortoises have been seized each year at Indian airports alone – an astounding number that still represents only a fraction of the tortoises poached from the wild. Once removed from the wild, the future for these beautiful animals is usually grim. However, this does not always have to be the case. This is the story of 51 tortoises saved from the black market and successfully returned to their home in the wilderness. Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, it is possible for Indian star tortoises to survive and thrive into the future. Indian star tortoises were given their name because of their unique coloration pattern. Each scute of the tortoise’s shell has a yellow dot at its center, with lines radiating outward. This pattern forms an attractive and distinctive star-like appearance. Sadly, this unique beauty makes them the target of the illegal pet trade, and thus the black market. Because of the escalating demand for illegally obtained star tortoises, concern for their survival as a species has mounted. Protections for the Indian Star Tortoise: As recently as 2000, this reptile was considered a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Indian government listed star tortoises as a Schedule 4 species, meaning they had minimal protection. However, by 2016 it was clear that the numbers of these tortoises still active in the wild were plummeting and that they were being trafficked out of India, mostly illegally, at an alarming rate. For these reasons they were up-listed to Vulnerable by the IUCN. And, in 2019, they were moved from a Schedule 4 species to a Schedule 1 species under Indian law (Wildlife Protection Act 1972). This change gave the star tortoise the same level of protections as tigers and elephants in India. Also, in 2019, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) upgraded the tortoises from Appendix 2 to Appendix 1. Appendix 2 is intended for species that are not necessarily immediately threatened with extinction, but traffic and trade of the species needs to be controlled in order to promote their continuing survival. Appendix I, on the other hand, refers to species that are formally threatened with extinction. Indian Star Tortoise Care And Breeding Tips 51 Smuggled Indian Star Tortoises Returned To India490 Indian Star Tortoises were seized in India, with over 6,000 confiscated from wildlife traffickers in 2017. A lack of legal protection, ease of capture, desirability as pets, and lucrative payoffs led to tens of thousands of these tortoises being trafficked annually. They were often stuffed in luggage and sacks, transported via trains, cars, and planes, resulting in incidents like 97 star tortoises being confiscated at Singapore airport.
The injured and traumatized tortoises were transferred by the Singapore government to a rescue center managed by ACRES for medical care. Initially, euthanasia was considered due to their non-native status, but Wildlife SOS founders Geeta Seshamani and Kartick Satyanarayan offered to repatriate them to India if fit for release. Repatriation, never attempted with this species, faced logistical, biological, and political challenges, but Wildlife SOS pursued it to avoid euthanasia or captivity abroad. Returning them to their native habitat would support breeding and ensure future generations. The action plan required collaboration with ACRES and the Singapore government, along with Indian government approval. Steps included finding a suitable release location, setting up a soft release pen, and allowing months for acclimatization to India’s climate after exposure to high humidity. Wildlife SOS initiated the process by bringing Indian officials, including Karnataka’s chief wildlife warden, to Singapore to examine and evaluate the tortoises for repatriation.It was concluded that only 51 of the 96 tortoises were in good enough health for potential repatriation – the remaining 45 tortoises were unfortunately ineligible due to cracked shells and other ailments. But the good news was that repatriation for the 51 healthy tortoises was a definite possibility. The initial investigations revealed that these particular tortoises originated from the tortoise population native to southern India. That knowledge helped Wildlife SOS focus on collaborating with the Karnataka Forest Department, the location to which they hoped the tortoises could be returned.
Although no Indian star tortoise subspecies are formally recognized, four distinct tortoise populations presently occur in four different areas: – Northwestern India: Found in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, ranging to southeastern Pakistan. These tortoises tend to be larger and darker. – Eastern India: Found in Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. – Southern India: Found in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. – Sri Lanka: Tortoises here sometimes have broader yellow markings and reach larger sizes than those from Southern India. Tortoises from Eastern and Southern India are slightly smaller but considered the most attractive due to their shells having more contrasting star-like patterns. Known Natural Ecology: Ironically, while a good amount is known about the tortoises’ behavior in captivity, much of their natural ecology remains a mystery. Indian star tortoises prefer arid and semi-arid habitats, including deserts, rocky scrub jungles, grasslands, and sometimes deciduous forests. Most regions they inhabit have monsoon seasons followed by extensive hot and dry periods. They are generally crepuscular, active in mornings and evenings, though they can be active at any time. Breeding and nesting seasons coincide with monsoons, with males competing for females by flipping each other over. Females typically produce two clutches of eggs per year, each with two to 10 eggs buried in dirt. Star tortoises are primarily herbivores, eating grasses, leaves, fruits, and flowers, but they have been known to consume insects, dung, and carrion. Presently, little is known about their home ranges or movement patterns. Permits, Paperwork and Repatriation: Keeping all that they knew about star tortoise populations and ecology in mind, Wildlife SOS worked closely with the Karnataka State Forest Department, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (CITES India) to procure all required permits and paperwork for the repatriations.Wildlife SOS deployed multiple teams in the Karnataka Forest to prepare for the tortoises’ homecoming, a project that took over 14 months to complete. As the homecoming approached, specialized transport boxes were designed to ensure the tortoises’ safe and low-stress journey. Singapore Airlines supported the repatriation by subsidizing flight tickets for veterinarians, caregivers, and biologists, and flew the tortoises for free. The tortoises arrived in Karnataka, India on November 18.
Clearing customs was a time-consuming process, after which the tortoises were transported to Bannerghatta National Park for quarantine as directed by the chief wildlife warden. While the park is part of the Indian star tortoise’s natural habitat and Wildlife SOS operates the Bannerghatta Sloth Bear Rescue Center nearby, concerns about wild elephants damaging the pens and potentially injuring the tortoises led to their relocation after quarantine. They were moved to the soft release site at Ramdurga Reserve Forest in Koppal District, North Karnataka. Ramdurga Reserve Forest, located on the Deccan Plateau, features a habitat of rocky scrub forest, thorn forest, and dry deciduous forest with a semi-arid climate characterized by hot summers from April to June and low rainfall from June to November. The protected area includes island habitats mixed with agriculture and boulder fields, hosting wildlife such as sloth bears, leopards, rusty spotted cats, jungle cats, Indian boars, Indian crested porcupines, otters, ruddy mongooses, and Indian hares. The forest is near Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its ancient ruins, rock climbing opportunities, and significance as a Hindu pilgrimage center, ensuring the habitat’s preservation for future generations. Wildlife SOS established a wildlife research field station adjacent to Ramdurga Reserve Forest, making it an ideal location for keeping the tortoises in a soft release pen before their eventual return to the wild.A large forested pen was created just behind the field station. The field station is also a base for many of the animal protection services Wildlife SOS provides, including anti-poaching patrols, outreach to local communities, the forest nursery, and research on sloth bears and other local wildlife. Long before the star tortoise repatriation project had begun, Wildlife SOS had set up camera traps in the area to collect images of bears. These cameras collected several photos and videos of star tortoises in the area, proving that it was a natural repatriation site. Today, the Wildlife SOS field station now also functions as the Indian Star Tortoise Repatriation project base.
Once the tortoises arrived at the site, they appeared to know they were home. Staff noted that their activity levels increased while in their new pen. The soft release enclosure had an abundance of native natural vegetation, shade, water, and food to allow the tortoises to acclimatize. After several months of living in the soft release pens, the tortoises were deemed ready to be fully released back into the wild. Two final decisions had to be made: the best time to release the tortoises, and how many tortoises should be released. The timing was important because it would impact the tortoises’ ease of adjustment and increase the odds of their survival and eventual thriving in the new habitat. The team decided the month of November would be the best time to release the tortoises. The monsoons would be over, and the climate would be ideal for the tortoises to easily find food. The team also determined that not all of the tortoises would be released at once. In order to ensure the tortoises were successful, only 12 of them would be selected for the first release round. The day was quickly approaching for the first group of tortoises to be released. The first group would be released with transmitters fitted to their carapace, so they could be actively monitored to provide a better understanding of the repatriation’s success. The success of these tortoises would have implications for all tortoises attempting to be returned to the wild. Twelve very healthy tortoises were chosen from the group and fitted with transmitters. Wildlife SOS planned to check on the tortoises several times a week, at a minimum, while collecting data on their movement and monitoring their general health. On November 18, the first 12 tortoises were released back into the wild. The small team of veterinarians, biologists, and technicians broke into applause as the tortoises walked out of their pens and reclaimed their freedom in the wild. One small step for a tortoise, and hopefully one giant step for tortoise kind. Over the following days, as WSOS monitored them, the tortoises made their way across the scrubby terrain. Within the first week, one tortoise had to be retrieved and brought back to its pen due to a technical issue with the transmitter. Luckily, the rest of the transmitters were functioning well – as were the tortoises themselves.As weeks passed with no further technical or tortoise issues, the team exhaled a bit. The remaining eleven tortoises were doing well. The expectation, based on conversations with tortoise experts, was that the tortoises were likely to move quite a bit in the first few weeks, but then settle down into a relatively small area. So far, this expectation was holding true. After an initial sprint (if you can call it that – these are tortoises, after all), some of the tortoises did start to move less as they appeared to be settling into an area.
In April, summer arrived, with daily temperatures reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Wildlife SOS team worried about the summer heat and the potential ensuing lack of food. Yet, all 11 tortoises weathered the heat just fine. The weeks melted into months, and finally the monsoons hit. Monsoon season brought cooler temperatures and an abundance of food. Monsoon season is also breeding time for star tortoises, and while there is no evidence of the repatriated tortoises breeding in the wild just yet, Wildlife SOS did document one of the female tortoises being followed by a wild male, so there is reason to be optimistic. It has now been a year since the first group of tortoises were released, and all eleven of them are thriving. One of 12 star tortoises released outfitted with a transmitter. Photo by Thomas Sharp/Wildlife SOS Unfortunately, the original plan of having the remaining tortoises released within the same year as the initial release group was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ensuing lockdowns made it nearly impossible to coordinate properly with the forest department. However, the tortoises in the transitional pens are doing well, and their health is continuing to improve. Based on the early results of the tortoise monitoring, there is every reason to be optimistic that the remaining tortoises will also flourish when the time finally comes to return them to the wilderness. The future of the Indian star tortoise looks much brighter than it did only a few years ago. When the star tortoises in this story were smuggled to Singapore, their species enjoyed far fewer legal protections. But, by the time they returned to their native soil, things had changed for the better for star tortoises. The Indian government’s increased protection levels, along with the new designation from CITES will certainly help to curb the poaching of the species. The fight is still a long way from over, but the winds have shifted. The repatriation of these tortoises to India, and the successful reintroduction of 11 tortoises to the wild (hopefully to be followed by reintroduction of 40 more), gives hope that there is real potential to return these tortoises back to the wild even after they have been poached. Large scale repatriation of Indian star tortoises may be a real factor in saving this species from going extinct. Thomas Sharp is the director of conservation and research for Wildlife SOS. He has been a professional wildlife ecologist for more than 25 years, working on everything from snakes on the island of Guam to golden eagles in the western United States.He also presently serves on IUCN’s Bear Specialist Group, as the co-chair of the sloth bear expert team.
