ANTANANARIVO, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Six people are waiting for trial in jail for illegal turtles trafficking in Madagascar, a civil society organization on environment protection said on Wednesday.
The traffickers were arrested in a hotel in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo last Thursday, when they planned to sell 199 radiated tortoises closed in a suitcase, Riana Randrianarisoa, communication officer of Alliance Voahary Gasy (AVG) told Xinhua.
The arrests were made during a joint operation by AVG, police and the justice as well as the Network of Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (EAGLE), which is leading the fight against wildlife crime in Madagascar.
Radiated tortoises live naturally only in the extreme southern and southwestern Madagascar.
They are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and listed on the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) because of poaching and destruction of their habitat.
Turtles are a very long-living species, with recorded lifespan of at least 188 years and their rarity makes them popular pets all around the world.
Data from the AVG said that illegal traffic of baby turtles repeated frequently in Madagascar because a baby turtle is sold from 250 U.S dollars in Madagascar's capital to 2,000 U.S dollars in international market.
