Hong Kong
CNN
—
One of many world’s most densely populated cities might sound an unlikely refuge for endangered wildlife.
However behind the concrete jungle of Hong Kong, the place greater than 7 million individuals mingle in a 430 sq. mile space house to extra skyscrapers than NY city, lies one of many final holdouts for a number of unique species of turtle.
Elsewhere in Asia, specialists say, these species – prized for his or her use in Chinese language medication and as unique pets – have been hunted to the brink of extinction. Whereas in Hong Kong, the unlikeliness of the setting has enabled them to fly largely beneath poachers’ radar.
Or at the very least, till just lately. Even this haven now appears beneath risk. Consultants say poaching incidents are rising dramatically as disappearing populations drive poachers to forged their nets ever wider searching for a brand new provide.
“Hong Kong is without doubt one of the final bastions of turtle conservation in Asia,” mentioned Sung Yik-hei, an affiliate professor at Lingnan College. He has been monitoring town’s turtle inhabitants for greater than a decade and estimates it has fallen by 60% to 80% throughout that point.
Publicizing the turtles’ plight now could also be his final likelihood to avoid wasting them from extinction, he believes, even when it means breaking the secrecy that has shielded them for thus lengthy.
“Earlier than, we didn’t wish to inform individuals now we have turtle populations, or so-called strong potential populations,” Sung mentioned. “Whereas we wished to coach individuals about wild turtles, we have been fearful {that a} sure few individuals would possibly change into and go searching.”
Now although, he and his staff of college conservationists assume it’s a matter of “now or by no means.”
“The state of affairs has come to some extent the place it can’t be worse,” he mentioned.
Hong Kong’s endangered turtles
Past the postcard photos of the glowing workplaces and dazzling lights which have made Hong Kong well-known lie the hinterlands of its New Territories simply south of the border with mainland China.
It’s a rural idyll of subtropical temperatures, considerable rivers and streams, and a relative lack of human growth – precisely the form of atmosphere through which varied species of freshwater turtle thrive, Sung says.
Most of the turtles right here have been as soon as considerable in different components of Asia, like Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and mainland China, however poaching has decimated their populations to the purpose that some species are actually counted of their a whole bunch and principally solely in Hong Kong.
Sung screens their nesting areas with a system of 40 surveillance cameras linked to his cell phone. The place as soon as he would have noticed 10 poaching incidents a 12 months, six occurred in February 2023 alone.
“In all of the streams I visited (on a latest journey), we noticed indicators of unlawful turtle searching. We discovered traps, or we all know the turtles must be there, however we can’t discover any,” Sung mentioned.
Among the many populations he’s combating to protect are the Golden coin turtle, a species as soon as prized for medicinal functions and utilized in turtle jelly however now in demand as an unique pet whose rarity and unusual seems have made it solely extra worthwhile to poachers. Consumers see the golden stripes on their heads as an emblem of prosperity and are prepared in excessive instances to pay a whole bunch of hundreds of US {dollars}.
Sung says there are considered round 100 left in Hong Kong – one of many world’s final important populations, he says.
Dealing with the same plight is the Beale’s eyed turtle, fewer than 200 of that are considered left in Hong Kong and an unknown – however considered very small – quantity in mainland China. These turtles have a sample on the again of their head within the form of two eyes – probably an evolutionary trait, some scientists counsel, meant to scare off predators. Its distinctive seems have made it too a prize for unique pet keepers, who pay a whole bunch of US {dollars} for it on the black market.
Then there may be the Massive-headed turtle, one other strange-looking species that has change into common with these searching for an unique pet. It has an eagle-like beak, a crocodile-like tail and a head so massive it will probably’t slot in its shell. A number of hundred are left in Hong Kong, and even perhaps fewer in its different properties of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It will probably go for as much as $1,000 on the unlawful market.
Not one of the three turtles talked about thus far are appropriate to be stored as pets. The Massive-headed turtle is especially unsuitable, Sung says, as for them to outlive they’d require elaborate enclosures to imitate their pure environments.
What’s extra, beneath Hong Kong regulation, possession of an endangered turtle is a legal offense punishable by as much as a most of 10 years in jail and a HK$10 million [$1.27 million] tremendous, relying on the species.
But they continue to be in common demand and symbolize simply the tip of the iceberg of the unlawful commerce in turtles within the metropolis – which entails each endangered species and extra widespread ones.
Citing public information, Hong Kong-based ADM Capital Basis, a non-public analysis physique, mentioned metropolis authorities have seized at the very least 17,900 stay turtles and tortoises from unlawful smugglers since 2015, when a speedboat ferrying greater than 12,719 was intercepted, the biggest batch ever detected.
Then there’s a booming authorized commerce, with Hong Kong importing greater than 4.3 million turtles and tortoises between 2015 and 2022, based on the analysis physique.
Right here, too, Hong Kong’s density is an element. Bowie Chan Wing-wai, 41, who runs the Hong Kong Reptile Channel on Fb, mentioned turtles and different small reptiles have been common within the metropolis as a result of many individuals lived in cramped residing areas and there was a notion that the animals could possibly be stored in small enclosures.
However in lots of instances this ignored the reptiles’ elementary wants. “Take Brazilian turtles for instance,” Chan mentioned, referring to a typical breed seen in lots of native properties. “They might be tiny however they want the solar and clear water to outlive that not many households can present.”
And even when turtles are traded legally, there will be grey areas.
Sam Inglis, ADM’s wildlife program supervisor, mentioned export information indicated simply a number of hundred thousand of the 4.3 million imported between 2015 and 2022 have been legally re-exported, suggesting that almost all had remained within the metropolis, died, been consumed, or smuggled out of Hong Kong illegally. “The reality doubtless lies someplace within the midst of those eventualities,” he mentioned.
Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Division (AFCD) informed CNN it spares “no effort in combating unlawful searching actions to guard wild animals” and has been working with the police and native animal welfare teams to patrol nesting areas and take away animal traps.
It mentioned it had efficiently prosecuted in 24 out of the 47 instances of wildlife searching it had detected since 2020. Throughout the identical interval, It succeeded in prosecuting in 4 out of the 38 instances associated to possession of endangered freshwater turtles.
Nonetheless, some poachers stay undeterred and a few activists argue their more and more forceful strategies – working at night time and infrequently carrying weapons – imply the problem could be higher dealt with by police than the AFCD. Sung took CNN to 2 websites the place his cameras had been broken, he believes by poachers.
Hong Kong police informed CNN that AFCD was the “main division” in combating poaching, whereas they offered help or took half in joint operations “upon request.”
However Jovy Chan, supervisor of wildlife conservation at WWF Hong Kong, mentioned efficient enforcement would imply tracing the unlawful cash flows that stored the poaching trade afloat – one thing past the remit of the AFCD, which doesn’t have the facility to trace financial institution accounts. Chan additionally believes authorized modifications are wanted, as poaching actions are coated by a hodge-podge of laws, not all of which carry the identical penalties. The Wild Animals Safety Ordinance, for instance, carries a most sentence of only one 12 months in jail.
Altering the regulation is way past the remit of Sung and his researchers on the college. For now, they have to do what they will to document the ever-dwindling numbers of those exceptional creatures.
There may be a lot at stake, Sung mentioned.
“If Hong Kong can do properly….if we are able to get the police actively concerned in anti-hunting, we are able to reveal to different locations or the area, and mainland China, that that is really attainable,” he mentioned.
“If we don’t make a change to patrol and enforcement techniques they are going to be gone in just a few years.”
