The Guardia Civil is looking into a Molina de Segura (Murcia) man who had six protected or endangered turtles in his home. They couldn’t figure out where they came from, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil.
The operation started when the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) got a call from a citizen who said a guy had turtles in his garden.
The investigation found the house where three female Mediterranean tortoises (Testudo Hermanni), one male and one female Moorish tortoise (Testudo Graeca), and one female Russian tortoise (Testudo Horsfieldii) were taken. The owner couldn’t verify where they came from, therefore he was charged with crimes against them.
The Moorish tortoise is a protected species in Spain and Europe. It is classified endangered in Spain and vulnerable in the rest of the world. The European Union’s Habitats Directive protects it, and it has been against the law to keep it as a pet since 2015.
The Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo Hermanni) is very well protected because it is listed as endangered in both the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species and the European Union (Directive 92/43/EEC). CITES and the Bern Convention also preserve it on a global scale by making it illegal to catch wild specimens and controlling the trade in captive specimens.
The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) is on CITES Appendix II, which means that its commerce is restricted and specimens must have the right legal documents showing where they came from or how they were legally imported. The Spanish national catalogue does not include it as an endangered or vulnerable species, but its legislation makes sure that its commerce is controlled.
The El Valle de Murcia Wildlife Recovery Centre has received the six specimens.
Author: Derek Appleton
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