NEW DELHI, Oct. 2 -- Over one lakh tortoises and freshwater turtles, particularly Indian star tortoise, have been poached to cater to the illegal live pet trade, food and medicines market in the last 10 years, according to a latest fact sheet prepared by TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring network.

While the majority of the turtles were consumed by mendicants and gourmets, a portion of these was also seized. The Indian star tortoise, marked as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was high in demand as reflected in the seizure quantum.

The Indian star tortoise accounted for 49 per cent of the total identifiable individuals seized, followed by Indian Softshell Turtle (26 per cent) and...