Demand for unique Irian Jaya tortoise puts it in peril<\/p>\n
By Bayu Dwi Mardana Kusuma<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Irian Jaya is often called Indonesia's biggest
\nherpetology laboratory. A recent study shows that some 253
\nspecies of reptiles have been documented in the province: 89
\ntypes of snakes, 150 lizards, two kinds of crocodiles, six
\nspecies of turtles and six tortoises.<\/p>\n
Many of Irian Jaya's rare and unique-looking reptiles are only
\nfound on its southernmost tip. Yet it is the pignose tortoise
\n(caretochelys insclupta) that attracts the attention of many
\nbiologists, because its next of kin is only found in the form of
\nfossils.<\/p>\n
Even the layman can readily tell the difference between the
\npignose tortoise, which is most at home along riverbanks and in
\nswamps, and other members of the tortoise family. Its nose,
\nresembling the snout of a pig, nestles on the tip of its
\nrelatively big but short black trunk.<\/p>\n
Female pignose tortoises, characterized by oar-shaped front
\nlegs with two nails like those of a turtle, come out of water
\nonly when they are about to lay eggs. The pignose tortoise is
\nomnivorous, devouring anything edible such as fish, fruits, roots
\nand seeds inclusive of leaves of aquatic plants. They swim
\nexactly like turtles, paddling their front and rear legs in
\nunison. Other physical features encompass a spinal cord with a
\nmaximum length of about 61 cm, covered with a soft skin layer and
\nspots.<\/p>\n
It is their unique appearance which is bringing the pignose
\ntortoise to the brink of extinction, because they are hunted as
\npets and to be stuffed as ornaments.<\/p>\n
"That's it, it's the nose that is like that of a pig that
\nmakes it unique, that's why collectors are crazy for them," said
\na pet seller in Barito, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Pignose tortoises were formerly found solely in the southern
\npart of Irian Jaya, but they have also been documented around
\nCarpentaria in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, where
\nthey were first spotted in 1970. It is believed the latter were
\nescaped tortoises; they have also been seen at Argumi Bay, Danau
\nJamur, Timika, Agats, Kimaan, Asiki and Kali Digul.<\/p>\n
Smuggling stems from these places, with the reptiles being
\ntransported to Merauke before being sent on to big cities like
\nJakarta and Makassar.<\/p>\n
One does not have to go all the way to Merauke or to the
\nhinterland of Irian Jaya to have a good view of the bizarre-
\nlooking beast. They are scattered in several pet shops and malls
\nin Jakarta and offered at various prices. A small young tortoise
\ncan fetch Rp 150,000 while a middle-sized one with a spinal bone
\nof 20 to 30 cm long is pegged at Rp 800,000.<\/p>\n
A senior species conservation officer at the World Wide Fund
\n(WWF) for Nature Indonesia, John A. Maturbongs, said: "From our
\nobservations of various pet and bird shops in Jakarta from June
\n2000 to March 2001, there were some 250 illegal transactions of
\npignose tortoises."<\/p>\n
A pet exporter contacted in Jakarta in March revealed that he
\nhad thousands of pignose tortoises in stock. He planned to export
\nthem to Singapore. In addition, people in Hong Kong are reported
\nto be fond of consuming the tortoise's meat for health purposes.<\/p>\n
Protected<\/p>\n
The short-necked tortoise is on the list of endangered species
\nprotected by law under a 1978 agriculture ministry decree, but
\nthe measure seems to have done little good.<\/p>\n
For instance, in May 2000 public prosecutors and forestry
\nofficers found some 5,000 young pignose tortoises in one of the
\nriver ports near Merauke. It was believed the tortoises were
\nabout to be sent to Timika and later to Surabaya's pet and bird
\nshops.<\/p>\n
"The local poachers get very little for their catch from local
\ntraders, mostly in the form of staple foods: noodles, sugar,
\ncigarettes and other daily amenities," said Benja V. Mambay, a
\nproject officer at Lorentz Nasional Conservation, WWF Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"They need food more than money and they feel contented with
\ntheir way of life collecting things of value from the forest."<\/p>\n
The local people are ignorant of the fact the tortoise is
\nprotected. "It's the traders who know that what they are doing is
\nagainst the law, but who doesn't need money?"<\/p>\n
The exact number of pignose tortoises in the wild is not known
\nto date, but years of rampant poaching and illegal smuggling have
\ndecimated the population.<\/p>\n
"Just imagine that it takes at least 10 years for the reptile
\nto reach reproductive age. And each adult female normally
\nproduces approximately 17 to 35 eggs 33 to 45 mm in size and only
\nabout 10 percent of these will survive," Mambay said.<\/p>\n
Locals also hunt the tortoises for their meat. Grilled, the
\nmeat is served as a side dish to the traditional staple food of
\nsago. But WWF Indonesia's investigation shows that traders
\ncollect many more tortoises than the locals kill for food.<\/p>\n
An estimated 168,000 eggs were collected by seven groups of
\ntraders from August to September 1999. Maturbongs said: "With at
\nleast six speedboats and 23 longboats they are able to operate
\nvery fast along the Vreischap River in Merauke."<\/p>\n
This river has been a favorite spot for the traders to collect
\neggs and young tortoises; other locations are Kimaan island and
\nAsiki.<\/p>\n
Reaction<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Forestry often conducts "random" inspections
\nof markets like Barito and Pasar Burung Pramuka in a bid to crack
\ndown on the trade in endangered animals. But such measures are
\nseen by many as a formality rather than as an act of law
\nenforcement.<\/p>\n
Dr. Djoko T. Iskandar of the Bandung Institute of Technology
\nsaid the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and
\nNatural Resources and the Convention on the International Trade
\nin Endangered Species (CITES) were concerned by recent
\ndevelopments in the illegal trade of the pignose tortoise and the
\nvulnerability of the species.<\/p>\n
Indonesia ratified CITES through Presidential Decree No.
\n43\/1978 regarding the worldwide trade of flora and fauna. During
\nthe 11th conference of the CITES held in Gigiri, Kenya, in 2000,
\nall member countries adopted a resolution on the conservation of
\nfreshwater tortoises.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless the trade in the tortoises goes on, and no raids
\nhave been reported on pet shops in malls in Jakarta and other
\nmajor cities. Pet shop owners apparently feel there is no danger
\nin putting the tortoises and other endangered species up for
\nsale. For them, like the traders in Irian Jaya, it is all about
\nmoney, but one day they may find their pockets empty when the
\npignose tortoise disappears from the wild.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/demand-for-unique-irian-jaya-tortoise-puts-it-in-peril-1447893297",
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