Wildlife officials make startling discovery after halting vehicle in forest — here's what they found

Wildlife traffickers were caught smuggling over 400 turtles in Odisha, India, in early April, OTV News reported.

What's happening?

Officials from Odisha's forest department received a tip from a concerned citizen about wildlife trafficking in the Malkangiri district.

They arrested four individuals connected to the smuggling. The turtles, which were rescued mid-transit, were being sold for about ₹1,000 each (almost $12 USD). Their specific species is unknown, though Odisha's forest department told OTV News that they are rare.

At the time of writing, the traffickers' sentences have not been made public. However, according to the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, they could receive up to three years in prison.

The turtles' fate is currently unknown. 

Why does wildlife trafficking matter?

Wildlife trafficking poses a number of problems for animals, humans, and the environment.

Traffickers almost always keep animals in awful conditions. Small animals are packed tightly into boxes and often die in transit. If they do survive, they could become an invasive species in their new home.

Invasive species can collapse ecosystems. For example, the smallmouth bass' spread throughout the Colorado River has threatened the already-endangered humpback chub fish, putting the river's biodiversity at risk.

Humans heavily rely on biodiversity, often without realizing it. A healthy number of pollinators helps provide healthy produce, for instance. When a specific species declines, biodiversity dwindles along with it, indirectly putting humans' food sources, clean water, and medicinal access at risk.

What's being done about it?

Beyond the actions of Odisha's forest department, India formed the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in 2008 for the purpose of investigating illegal wildlife trade and poaching. 

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