[Jan] Indian Star Tortoise

Question 1

Habitat?

Answer 1

found across the Indian sub-continent, more specifically, in the Central and Southern parts of India, in West Pakistan and in Sri Lanka.

Question 2

Protection Status?

Answer 2

Wild Life Protection Act 1972: Schedule IV
Schedule IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. It includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the Schedules I and II.

Convention on International Trade inSpecies (CITES): Appendix I
IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Question 3

Threats?

Answer 3

two threats- loss of habitat to agriculture and illegal harvesting for the pet trade.

Question 4

Conservation efforts?

Answer 4

Recently India’s proposal to upgrade the protection status of Star Tortoise from Appendix II to Appendix I was approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).