Asiatic Herpetological Research

April 1990

Vol. 3, pp. 123-i:

Interim Report on the Freshwater Turtle Trade in Bangladesh
S. M. A. RASHID 1

AND IAN. R. SWINGLAND

1^Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, Rutherford College. University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent

CT2 7NX, United Kingdom
Key Words: Reptilia, Testudines, Bangladesh, conservation, commercial trade.

Introduction
Trade in the freshwater turtle species ofBangladesh has been occurring for a very
long time. Exploitation of this naturalresourse was limited prior to 1980, butduring the past decade there has been arapid and drastic increase both in terms ofcommercial exploitation and volume oftrade.
At present freshwater turtles arecaptured everywhere in the country. Since
there are potential buyers, who haveemerged due to the increase in turtle trade,turtles.

As a result, freshwater turtles areexported all round the year though the bulk
fluctuates with the season. Some of the
freshwater turtles are included in CITES I,
The
but trade is still continuing.

Bangladesh Wildlife (PreservationAmendment) Act, 1973 does not include
any turtle species in its schedules and assuch gives free access to the exporters.

Moreover the government also charges anominal amount of duty (Taka 5.00 permaund) on the export.
Study Period

the hunters prefer to sell their catches tothose buyers rather than selling it in thesmall country markets.
Turtle meat has served as a source ofprotein to most of the ethnic groups andnon-moslems in Bangladesh. The turtle
meat and eggs are mostly consumed by theHindus and to some extent by theChristians, Buddhists and other minorities.
Recent observations indicate that the rate ofturtle meat consumption has accelerated dueto the high price of other meat sources,
making them unaffordable to most people,
as well as the scarcity of fish and meatproducts. This trend has already proved to
be a threat to the chelonian population.
Many of the freshwater turtles arebecoming rarer. Personal observations andinterviews with the local people and hunters(turtle catchers) have confirmed it.

This is a preliminary report on thefreshwater turtle trade in Bangladesh,
covering the period from May 1989 to mid1989.
The work is still inAugust,thefinal report will be
andprogress
submitted after the completion of the study.
Objectives

The primary objectives of this study are toidentify/determine:

Species involved in trade.
Volume of trade.
3. Proportion of each species exported.
4. Methods of collecting.
1.

2.

5. Major collecting sites, habitat

preferences of the species concerned.
6. Sex ratio of the species exported.
7. Status of the species in the wild

Lack of turtle trade regulation is also one

involved in trade.

of the reasons for the increase in themagnitude of turtle trade. Though on paper

8. Methods of transportation, packing,the Forest Department, "godfather" of all
the wildlife in Bangladesh, looks after it

9. Mortality rate during transportation.

practically there isno one to execute theThere is no regulation toregulation.
control the hunting and capturing of the© 1990 by Asiatic Herpetological Researchstocking.

Previous Information

The chelonian fauna of Bangladesh areVol. 3, p. 124

April 1990

Asiatic Herpetological Research

centers, those centers were visited and theowners were briefed about our intention tocollect information on the turtle trade.

These centers were located at Baidyar
Bazar, Sonargaon; Narayanganj (BIWTAGhat, Jam Tala, Panchaputi); and Dhaka(Mirpur Section 1 and 10) [Fig. 2].

After seeking information about thethe study
export schedule, members ofat the centersgroup were present physicallyobserving the packing methods, taking
measurements of the turtles exported,and also
identifying and sexing themeachofthespecies
proportion
estimating
The group
exported in the consignment.
members had to face a lot of nonYear

Monetary value in Bangladesh Taka ofturtle export from 1972 through 1987. The current= Taka 30.
exchange rate is approximately $1 US

FIG.

1.

Figures are as reported by the Bangladesh Export
Promotion Bureau.

We

have to rely
not well documented.
is necessary
itandmostly on Smith (1931),
forinformation
theto revise and update
works
Later
most of the chelonians.
include that of Ahmed (1958), Shaft andQuddus (1977), Husain (1979), Khan(1982,1985) and Fugler (1984). All theseon thepublications throw some lightchelonians with some indication of theeither
species being exploited for tradeforor(1984)
putexport. Fugler
locallyforward further information on the extent oftrade and the species involved. But since
he worked for a very short time muchrecent study byinformation is lacking.

AHosain (1989 unpublished) gives some
information on the food and feeding habits

traders.

and when the traders understood that weare not doing any harm to their trade, they
gradually came forward.
the first author and two
research assistants are working on thisturtle trade project. The two export centers
located within the metropolis Dhaka,
Sec. 1 and Sec. 10, are being visited

At present

Mirpurweekly. Turtles are being exported every
week and those are being monitored. The
other centers are being visited once in afortnight but it is not possible

Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
They only give the value of the turtles
nor
exported (Fig. 1). Neither the quantity
the species are known.

Methods
Based on earlier information regarding
the location of some of the turtle export

to check theThe reason for thislocated far awayarecenters
is that thoseturtle specimens there.

and that in all the cases the turtles are
so thatpacked for export after midnight
thetoairport bythey can be transported
dawn when most of the airlines are
Most of these
operating to the Far East.
turtles are destined for Japan, Hong Kong,
whereSingapore, Thailand and Malaysia
they are mostly used for food.

of some freshwater turtles in Bangladesh.
Information on turtle export is also on fileat theButcooperative attitudes from theworthwhilepatience and interest proved

Results
Zia International Airport, Dhaka is theThe turtles
only shipping port.
inbamboo-woven
exported live, packed
individuals
threetoTwo
wicker baskets.
- 12
are10
packed in akg
weighing about
aresingle basket but

when the specimen isPrior to packing
large, it is packed singly.
cleaned of any
andthe turtles are washedforeign material.

The sturdy cord which isApril 1990

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 3, p. 125

BANGLADESH
InternationalDistrict

Boundary

Boundary

Subdivisional Boundary

FIG. 2. Regional map of Bangladesh.

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 3, p. 126

used to tie the fore and hind limbs of theturtle on each side together (to restrict itsmovement) is cut off and then theindividuals are placed in the baskets to bepacked. The lid is placed over the basket
and tied with aluminium wires. The packed

baskets are marked with the trademark of
the exporter and then transported to theairport. Turtles under 1 kg in weight are
not exported. While weighing, packing theexporters do not treat the different species
separately.

During this period (summer), the volumeof trade is much less. Because of monsoon
rain the water level rises and it becomesdifficult to catch turtles.

But according tosome of the turtle hunters the catch isgreater because of increased rate of

movement of the turtles and the hunters canalso maneuver and place traps and othercollecting gears in suitable localities. The
peak time for exporting the turtles is winter(late October- February). At that time thenumber of individuals as well as thenumber of species is higher compared tothe summer catches.
Information is being collected about thefrequency of catches of the different species
in different seasons and also in different
habitats.
this interim

Duringobserved that1itperiodton

metrichas beenof live

freshwater turtles are exported every week.
The volume is much less than during thepeak time, in winter, when the volume risesto 5 - 6 metric tons per week. Presently
turtles are being shipped once a week but
during winter they are shipped almost
everyday. The species exported during thisperiod were Aspideretes hurum, and/4.
gangeticus. Aspideretes hurum comprises
the major portion of the bulk followed byA. gangeticus. Lissemys punctata is not
being exported but smuggled toneighboring India with whom Bangladesh
shares most of the boundaries. The sex
ratio of the exported turtles have beenfound to be 45.71% males and 54.29%
females irrespective of the species. The
average weight of the exported turtles was
7.72 kg ranging from 1 kg to 33.20 kg.

April 1990

From one of the export centers in Dhaka
4017 kg of live turtles were exported fromJune 10th to August 21st The ratio of the.

turtles, inwereA.

terms of number of individuals

hurum

11.43% and A.

gangeticus- 28.57% and in terms of weight
was A. hurum 83.62%; A. gangeticus-

16.48%. Assuming that turtle demand forexport is the same and that the number ofpeople going for it is also the same, thedecline in the export figures during 198788 (Fig. 1) can be related to the decline of
the turtle population in the wild. There areoccasional reports of Kachuga tecta

hatchlings being exported to Japan for pettrade. About 200 hatchlings were exported
in 1988, and 40 kilograms of live Kachuga

hatchlings and juveniles were
exported to Singapore last year. In June
1989, there was a consignment of 40 kilosof live Geochlemys hamiltoni shipped toSingapore.

tecta

The prices of the turtles also vary
The collectors sell A
considerably.
hurum, A. gangeticus and Chitra indica at
the rate of Taka 1200 - 1300 per maund (1maund = 33 kg. approx.) to the middleman(locally known as maha ian or bePari) whoin turn sells it at the rate of Taka 1400 1500 to the suppliers, who feed theexporters. The rate of the final exchange.

between the supplier and the exporter is notknown. Lissemys punctata is bought at therate of Taka 500 - 600 per maund from thecollectors and sold by the middleman to thesupplier at the rate of Taka 700 per maund(1 US $ = Taka 30). Last year at one time
the prices went up to Taka 1 100 - 1200 permaund. The meat of the turtles which die
off during transportation

isconsumed

locally and is sold at the rate of Tk.50 55
per kilogram and that of L. punctata Tk. 15

per kg. Kachuga tecta is being sold in thecountry markets at the rate of Tk. 10 Tk.
Earlier the money was
15 per kilo.
channeled down by the exporter to thesupplier, who gave it to the middleman andfinallyitcollectors

reached the collectors.

wereThecommittedtothemiddleman to supply turtles at a rate
determined by him. This trend has changed
a lot now. The middleman invests his own

money and the collectors negotiate to fix theAsiatic Herpetological Research

April 1990

This is because of the low rate of
The collectors complain of the
non-availability of the turtles and themiddleman has to comply with it.
rate.

Vol. 3, p. 127

Subfamily Trionychinae

catches.

2. Aspideretes gangeticus(Meylan 1987),

Softshell turtle

hurum (Meylan 1987),
Peacock Softshell Turtle.

3. Aspideretes

Recently the working group has beenable to contact the airport officials in Dhaka

by whom the exact weight of the turtles
shipped is recorded. In most of the cases
the weight figures measured in front of thegroup members at the turtle export centers
are not the same as the airport figures. Theairlines carrying it and the final destinationof the shipment will be known. Very often
this information is concealed by theexporters. Also the business organizations
exporting turtles will be known. So farsome of the exporters have been contacted.
The Forest Department personnel have also
been contacted and liaison is being

Family Emydidae
Subfamily Batagurinae
4. Geoclemmys hamiltoni(Gray 1831),

Spotted Pond Turtle.
5. Morenia petersi(Anderson 1879), EyedTurtle.
6. Hardella thurji(Gray 1831), CrownedRiver Turtle.
7. Kachuga tecta(Gray 1831), RoofedTurtle.
8.

Kachuga tentoriaflaviv enter (Gray1834), Tent Turtle.

maintained with them.
Classification follows Obst (1988).

The

Based on the information from the turtle

generic name of Trionyx has been replaced

suppliers about the collecting sites, thesenior author and research assistants haveby Aspideretes and the common English
names are used following Stubbs (1989).

travelled extensively to some areas in south

Bangladesh to see the techniques used toand the habitat fromcollect chelonians

Some of theandareashave beenmajor supply
collecting
identified. Interviews have been taken of
the traders and hunters and collectors. The
areas visited thus far are Maijdi,
where they are collected.

Begumganj,

Chandraganj,

Lakhipur,Dalalbazar, Char, Alexandar, Ramgoti,Comilla, Laksham, Chandpur, Hajiganj,
Sahatali, and Chittagong.

Discussion
Species Involved inLocal and International TradeThe

freshwater

Bangladesh

belongturtlestofound

theinfamilies

Reptilia).

Family Trionychidae
Subfamily Cyclanorbinae
Lissemys punctata andersoni (Lacepede1788), Flapshell Turtle.

there is a serious decline in its population.

Pelochelys bibroni was included in thechelonian list by Shafi and Quddus (1977),
Husain (1979), and Khan (1982, 1985) but
no precise localities were mentioned.
Fugler (1984) was also not certain whether
this species is included in trade or not.

Trionychidae and Emydidae (Testudines,1.

There are reports of some of the otherspecies being involved in the trade, like
Chitra indica, Kachuga dhongoka andsome others. But during the interim study
period, no specimens of these species wereobserved.
This gives rise to a great
concern for particularly C. indica. In thepast this species has been heavily exploitedand the hunters and exporters believe that

All the species mentioned above arelocally, mostly by the nonmoslems. The rate of consumption has
increased to a considerable extent, whichneeds to be monitored.

consumedSpecies Involved in International Trade
1. Lissemys punctata

andersoni.

2. Aspideretes gangeticus.
3. Aspideretes

hurum.

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 3, p. 128

Pakistan.

4. Kachuga tecta.

April 1990

18 pp.

5. Hardella thurji.
6.

FUGLER, C. M.

Geoclemmys hamiltoni.

1984.

The commerciallyexploited Chelonia of Bangladesh: taxonomy,

Because of the wide distribution andavailability of Lissemys punctata, it isconsumed on most occasions. Apart fromthis,a good lot is also smuggled to India.

The present investigator detected one
smuggling route in eastern Bangladesh.
There are reports of some more wellestablished routes in the northwest andsouthwest Bangladesh.

Kachuga tecta

also consumed quite often.

isecology, reproductive biology and ontogeny.
Fisheries Information Bulletin 2(l):l-52.

Ecology of freshwater turtles
Masters thesis. Department ofZoology, University of Dhaka. Unpublished.

HOSAIN, L.

1989.

of Bangladesh.

HUSAIN, K. Z. 1979. Bangladesher bonyajontuswampad o tar songrakhshan. Bangla Academy
Bignan Patrika 5(3):29-31 (In Bangla).

It is estimatedmost of the ethnic groups in thenortheast, northwest and southeast
consume at least either one Kachuga tecta
or Lissemys punctata per week per

KHAN, M. A. R.

household.

KHAN, M. A. R.

that1982. Chelonians of Bangladesh
and their conservation. Journal of the Bombay

Natural History Society 79:1 10-1 16.

prani.

Vol. I.

1985. Bangladesher bonya
Amphibian & Reptiles. Bangla

Academy, Dhaka. 169 pp.

Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to "Care for theWild", Horsham, U.K., for sponsoringThanks are also due tothis project.
Md. Ghulam Mustafa,Messers
Rasheduzzaman Ahmed and Najmul Hasan

OBST, F. J.

(In Bangla).

1988. Turtles, tortoises and terrapins.

St. Martin's Press,

New York. 230 pp.

SHAFI, M. AND M. M. A. QUDDUS.

1979.

Bangladesher mothshya swampada. Bangla
Academy Bignan Potrika 3(2): 14-36 (In Bangla).

for their tireless assistance in carrying outthe study.

Cooperation extended by Mr.

Hashem, owner of the Mirpur, Sec.

10,Turtle Supply Center deserves mention.
Last but not least, we thank Mr. Bill Jordan
for his whole hearted cooperation from thevery beginning, and Mr. Clifford Warwick
for his suggestions.

Literature Cited
1958. On edible turtles and tortoises
of East Pakistan. Directory of Fisheries, East

AHMAD, N.

SMITH, M.

The fauna of British India,
including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and1931.

Amphibia. Vol. 1. Loricata and Testudines.
Taylor and Francis, London. 185 pp.

STUBBS, D. 1989. Tortoises and freshwater
turtles. An action plan for their conservation.
IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle
Specialist Group.

47 pp.

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.