PUNE: Seven of the 37 rhesus monkeys which were rescued from Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) died at the Wild Animal Orphanage at Katraj. Dr Aniruddh Belsare, a veterinary doctor at the orphanage and a nominee of the Committee for the Purpose of Control of Scientific Experimentation on Animals, said the monkeys died in the last week of June. In two cases, it was proved that they died due to cardiac arrest. The other monkeys had symptoms of a viral disease. —ENS In India, the star tortoise is classified as a Schedule 4 protected animal. Generally smuggled from coastal Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, the tortoises are sold to traders for as little as Rs 100 each. In the international market, though, each of the star tortoises — popular as pets — can fetch at least 400 USD, according to the anti-trafficking NGO Traffic International. They are also savoured for their meat and their shells, which are used to make spectacle frames. In case of seizures abroad, the country of export has to be informed, as is laid down in the Convention on International Trade of Wild Flora and Fauna of which India is a signatory. Belinda Wright, Executive Director of the Wildlife Protection Society, told The Indian Express, ‘‘This is a chance seizure and for every catch, 10 consignments must be getting through. The bureaucratic tangle has delayed the return of the tortoises, but officials in Singapore must be caring for ones which survived. They don’t want to send them back in a hurry so that more die on the way home.’’
