For a nation which is suffering greatly in terms of wildlife depletion, it comes as a shock when another attempt on smuggling tortoise meat to China was caught red-handed. The demand for the meat is high and Chinese are ready to pay a high price for it.
Recently, a consignment heading towards Hongkong was caught by Sindh Wildlife officials and now it has been reported that two poachers were arrested for illegal selling of 50 kg of tortoise meat to Chinese nationals in a southern district of Punjab.
Two Poachers Arrested for Selling Tortoise Meat
The arrest was made by the Wildlife Department when the poachers were shooting tortoises in the Saraya Sidhoo area of Kanewal district. The meat was also seized and is in possession of the department. The poachers will now be presented in a court of law.
As per the provincial director of the Wildlife Department, Mohammad Gashgori, the two men are part of a bigger gang that has been involved in the smuggling of tortoise meat for the past 6 months.
He further added,
“The meat is being supplied to Chinese restaurants.”
The Punjab Government has banned the hunting and selling of tortoise meat. Ghashgori also mentioned,
“Strict action would be taken against anyone found involved in this illegal trade.”
After the arrest of the two gang members, the Wildlife Department officials are on a manhunt for the rest of the gang involved in this illegal trade.
The Chinese have a high demand for tortoise meat as they believe it has aphrodisiac qualities and prolongs life, is a good source of protein and is high in calcium.
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