FWD: Fact file on the river terrapin

July 22, 2004

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Tuesday July 20, 2004

Fact file on the river terrapin

Fact file: River terrapin (Batagur baska)

Distribution: Found in the tropics east of the Indian sub-continent, including

parts of India and Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia,

Singapore and Indonesia.

Status: Endangered in Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia, and critically

endangered in Bangladesh and India because the sub-populations are very small

and declining. Confirmed extinct in the wild in Thailand. Presumed to be extinct

in Myanmar, Vietnam and Singapore.

Listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

since 2000. Prohibited from international trade as it is listed under Appendix I

of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).

Threats: Illegally traded in substantial volumes to feed the market in China.

Egg consumption decimates the regeneration of wild populations. Destruction of

mangrove forests, sand mining, damming of rivers and pollution also contribute

to the decline of the species.

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