Star Tortoise, Otters get Higher Protection at CITES

• India’s proposal to upgrade the protection of star tortoises (Geochelone elegans), the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and small-clawed otters (Anoyx cinereus) in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Wild Fauna and Flora) have been approved. These species have been listed under Appendix I of CITES and will now enjoy the highest degree of protection as there will be a complete international ban enforced on their trade. The upgradation was approved at the Conference of the Parties (COP18) held at Geneva.

Indian Star Tortoise

• The Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a threatened species of tortoise found in dry areas and scrub forest in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• This species is quite popular in the exotic pet trade, which is the main reason it is endangered.
• They are mostly herbivorous and feed on grasses, fallen fruit, flowers, and leaves of succulent plants, and will occasionally eat carrion.

Smooth-coated Otter

• The smooth-coated otter is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunctive population in Iraq.
• As its name indicates, the fur of this species is smoother and shorter than that of other otter species.
• It has been recorded in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, southwest China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesian islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java, and Brunei.
• It occurs in areas where fresh water is plentiful — wetlands and seasonal swamps, rivers, lakes, and rice paddies. Where it is the only occurring otter species, it lives in almost any suitable habitat.
• Although it is often found in saltwater near the coast, especially on smaller islands, it requires a nearby source of fresh water.