Killing of Pakistan's Freshwater Turtles
Findings of Pakistan Wetlands Programme's team

 

Turtle at the verge of ruthless killing

Pakistan has a broad spectrum of biodiversity and 225 important wetlands that cover about 10 percent of the country. Wetlands are generally degrading due to various human induced threats.

The Central Indus Wetlands Complex is one of the four demonstration sites of the PWP, along the main stem of Indus River, between the town of Chashma in the north and city of Sukkur in the south.

Pakistan has eight species of freshwater turtles. Hardshell species include Smith's turtle (Kachuga smithii), spotted pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltoni), crowned river turtle (Hardella thurjii), and Indian roofed turtle (Kachuga tecta). Softshell species include Ganges softshell turtle (Aspideretes gangeticus), peacock softshell turtle (Aspideretes hurum), Indus mud turtle (Lissemys punctata), and Indian narrow-headed turtle (Chitra Indica). The population size of the identified species is yet to be studied.

A preliminary visit was made by the PWP team to study the status of freshwater turtles found in the Indus River in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), connecting NWFP with Punjab. The city is situated on the west bank of Indus River and is one of the potential sites for freshwater turtles.

Turtle Captured with Net-hook

Communities called Kails in the local language, Saraiki, residing along river sides, were found involved in capturing Ganges softshell turtles (Aspideretes gangeticus) and Peacock softshell turtles (Aspideretes hurum) that are recorded vulnerable in IUCN red list.

Abundantly found species of freshwater turtles in the study area of the Indus River are the Ganges softshell turtles, Smith's turtles, Indian roofed turtles, and Indus mud turtles.

Only the softshell turtles are targeted by local communities because parts of these turtles are in demand in the international markets and used in traditional Chinese medicines, while the abundantly found hardshell species are not commercially important for them.

Plastron of Fresh Water Turtle

Plastron (the bony plates covered with scutes that make up the lower shell of a turtle) and chest pellicle obtained after the killing of softshell turtles, are brought into the international markets through an extensive network of local middlemen.

Groups of turtle traders contact these local people and offer them handsome amounts of money in advance to start the business and adopt it as their profession. Traditional techniques and instruments are used for turtle capturing. Local people use spear rods (Sangola) and net-hooks (teend) baited with chicken intestines because softshell turtles are carnivorous. They also place nets in shallow water and check them for turtles, twice a day; early morning and at evening.

Meat and eggs of softshell turtles are used for eating purposes by some of the locals but others believe that turtles are not Halal food.

Thirteen Communities with 429 families in the study area were visited. The average catch is three to five softshell turtles per day by each community, which results in the minimum of 37 turtles caught per day by these communities.

Dried Plastron ready for sale

The community is paid a minimum of Rs. 50-60 and a maximum of Rs. 250 by local agents for a pair of plastron and chest pellicle if the size of plastron is 15 cm. The price is reduced to half if the size of plastron is less than 15cm.

The communities in the D.I.Khan area only started selling softshell turtle parts in December, 2006. Immediate steps should be taken to control it at its initial stages before significant impact is made on the number of turtles. It is unknown how long the trade has been going on in other areas.

Ready to meet the hunger

Poverty is the cause for trade in turtle parts. Basket weaving and begging are their only other sources of income. The Kails people say that they are willing to abandon the turtle hunting business if other, lucrative, means of livelihood are made available to them.

It is recommended that the Kails should be approached through

community-based conservation initiatives, provided with better livelihood opportunities along with education and awareness programmes in order to enable the local communities to stop the trade in softshelled turtles and protect all the freshwater turtles of Pakistan.

The PWP, in accordance with its mandate of poverty alleviation, is exploring the feasibility of expanding the scope of the freshwater turtle survey to other provinces. It is also liaising with proper authorities to put a stop to the trade of freshwater turtle parts.



Uzma Noureen Research Assistant, PWP