Pet shop in Panaji has a new stock of red eared slider turtles

One of the hardiest pets available in Goa are the red eared slider turtles as they survive for a long period of time, unlike fish which die rather quickly. It appears that the pet shops have a large number of turtles mainly in the monsoon period because in 2017, the turtles were available in the same period.

In July 2018, it was observed that a pet shop in Panaji has a large number of red eared slider turtles, it appears that a new stock has been delivered . The turtles are rather small, with a shell size of approximately 5 cm.

However the price being quoted is rather high at Rs 350 each

Poaching of turtles and tortoises in India

According to media reports, 14 different species of turtle, tortoise are traded illegally in India. Turtles and tortoises are popular with poachers because they are easy to transport from one place to another , compared to fish and other animals which die easily . In the last 6 years, more than 60,000 turtles, mainly from the gangetic plains, were seized by the enforcement agencies
Red crowned roofed turtle is believed to have occult powers and is in demand in south east asia
The tortoises and turtles are poached for meat. They are also kept as pets, as they are believed to bring good luck to the pet owner.

There is often no money involved in the illegal trade of tortoises from India, Indians supply their turtles to Thailand and they get ornamental fish in return, These ornamental fish are then sold by the traders in the indian market for money