Tortoise triumph
28th January 2008
Conservationists working in Madagascar to protect some of the rarest species of tortoise are celebrating two important finds.
Firstly there was the arrest of a Nigerian man who was holding 300 tortoises to export and sell at exotic animal markets.
Eight were ploughshare tortoises, a species that only numbers around 1,000 in the wild. They’re found in part of north-west Madagascar.
20 tortoises were also discovered on a neighbouring island. They’ve now been returned to the wild.
Tortoise smuggling is big business, with rare species selling for up to £100,000 an animal.
Hasina Randriamanampisoa of the Durrell Wildlife Trust, which works with endangered species around the world, told the BBC: “Of course I am very happy that the tortoises are still in Madagascar. But on the other hand I am very frustrated because it means they are still leaving the country.”
See much more wildlife in our photo galleries