6.8 C
London
Saturday, December 7, 2024

Madagascar. Nearly a thousand endangered animals will return home

Must read

- Advertisement -


Nearly a thousand wild animals smuggled from Madagascar to Thailand will be returned to their homelands. Among them there are representatives of endangered species. As explained by the Thai authorities, the animals were seized during the largest operation against fauna smuggling in history.

An operation to arrest smugglers was carried out in May in the southern province of Chumphon. Thai police caught the perpetrators and secured 1,117 live and dead animals from Madagascar – according to the officers, it was the largest such operation in the history of the country. The rescued animals were taken under the care of local veterinary services, but the authorities of both countries decided that the animals should return to their hometowns.

Valuable species

The secured animals include ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), tawny lemurs (Eulemur fulvus), spider web turtles (Pyxis arachnoides) and radiant (Astrochelys radiata). All of these species are endemic to Madagascar – this means that they do not occur in the wild anywhere else in the world.

Species recovered during operations in Thailand: spider web turtle (top left), radiated turtle (bottom left), tawny lemur (center), ring-tailed lemur (right)Cable News Network Inc. All rights reserved 2024

- Advertisement -

On Wednesday, Thai authorities held a ceremony to officially hand over the animals to representatives of the Madagascar government. 961 individuals will return to the island by air. The animals will go to special care centers.

According to data from the anti-animal smuggling organization TRAFFIC, Thailand is the most important legal recipient and exporter of endangered species from Madagascar. In addition to legal operations, there is also a thriving market of smugglers who sell lemurs and turtles to collectors of exotic animals. However, these species are completely unsuitable for keeping at home – they require strictly defined conditions to live, which are extremely difficult to recreate outside of native ecosystems.

Main photo source: Cable News Network Inc. All rights reserved 2024



Source link

More articles

- Advertisement -

Latest article