UNBconnect... (UNB)

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Dhaka, Apr 27 (UNB) – A total of 155 turtles were seized at Benapole border in Jessore while being smuggled in fruit baskets from India to Bangladesh early Friday.

In a joint drive, members of Jessore Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Forest Department raided a courier service office at Jumjumpur in Benapole border in the early morning and seized three baskets with the rare turtles.
 
Tapan Kumar Dey, Conservator of Forest (Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle), told UNB that the turtles packed in fruit baskets were smuggled into Bangladesh through the Continental Courier Service on Thursday.
 
He said the seized turtles included 87 `Kali Kaitta’ and 68 snail-eating turtles – both endangered species in Bangladesh. These turtles are found in hilly areas of the Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins.

“The turtles have been brought to Ban Bhaban in Dhaka immediately from Jessore and released at Bangabandhu Safari Park and Turtle Breeding Centre of Bhawal Jatiya Udyan,” said Tapan Kumar.

He said as there is high market value of turtles in Thailand, Indonesia and other counties, and smugglers use Bangladesh as a transit route to transport the turtles to those countries.  

Earlier, on April 17, a huge number of smuggled turtles were seized at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital.