The Hindu DFO 2, 3 A star tortoise rescued by the villagers of Tripuraram lying in the safe custody of the forest officials in Nalgonda. Photo: Singam Venkata Ramana
DNA sequence will be checked to establish their original habitat
In a bid to repatriate 800 Indian Star tortoises, which were seized while being reportedly smuggled out of the country, the Tamil Nadu forest officials have sought the help of molecular biologists to identify their place of origin.With two species of Star tortoises present in the country – one set is found in the western parts in Gujarat and also in Rajasthan. The other type is found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and also in the neighbouring island country, Sri Lanka. They are smuggled out of the country for use as exotic pets and are eaten as delicacies. Scientists from the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), a facility of the Centre for Cellular and Biology (CCMB) here, have earlier enabled successful repatriation of around 1,500 Star tortoises, which were confiscated after they were smuggled out of the country. They compared the DNA sequence of animals from known location and found they belonged to the southern part in the country. Later they were released in the wild in Andhra Pradesh. Ajay Gaur, scientist from LaCONES told The Hindu that they generally collect either a drop of blood or a small piece of tissue to do DNA analysis and determine their geographical location. He said the rescued animals would face problem of survival if relocated in the wrong habitat. If an animal from western part was released in southern part, it would lead to mixing of races and loss of genetic purity. He said either scientists from LaCONES would visit Tamil Nadu to collect the samples or the forest officials would make arrangements to send them. Since the number of confiscated animals was large, it might take two months to conclude the analysis.Dr. Gaur said that normally 10-15 per cent of samples of the total number of seized animals would be required to get an overall idea.Based on the earlier experience, the team at LaCONES was quite confident that they would be able to identify place of origin and repatriate them to their habitat, said Dr. S.Shivaji, Director Grade Scientist at CCMB and in-charge of LaCONES.He said the population, which was repatriated earlier had now more than doubled. “This was probably the first successful repatriation of wild animals,” he added.
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