Poachers Stole Turtles for Sexual Benefits. What Happened Next Shocked Them.

These poachers in India’s capital New Delhi planned to kill stolen turtles for meat, which is consumed under the mythical belief that it has aphrodisiac (that stimulates sexual desire) properties.

Also, the carapace and the plastron of the endangered turtles is dried and powdered and then sold off to Bangladesh and South East Asian countries for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

But this time, poachers’ plans went haywire. In a joint operation carried out by an independent outfit Wildlife SOS, Delhi Wildlife Department, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and Delhi Police, 27 endangered soft shelled turtles were seized from poachers near the Badarpur bus stand in Delhi. It was informed Thursday, March 27.

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Poachers had captured these turtles in Rajasthan and transported in bags using public transport.

Wildlife SOS Anti-Poaching and wildlife intelligence unit called ‘Forestwatch!’ got the tipoff.

A Wildlife SOS team was deployed in the early hours of the morning to monitor the Badarpur bus stand in Delhi.

Once the movement of the poachers and the contraband was confirmed, the information was passed on to the authorities.

A group of police officials, officers from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and Delhi Wildlife Department accompanied the Wildlife SOS team to the location and carried out the seizure.

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“It is shocking that the trade in endangered turtles goes on in Delhi so rampantly. These turtles are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. We are thankful to the Delhi police and the Wildlife authorities for their support and cooperation in making this operation a success,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS.

It is expected that the rescued turtles will be released back into their natural habitat.