

non CITES protected chelonians in the markets 

Orlitia borneoensis - Malaysian Giant Turtle 

100 RMB ($13 US) per kilogram

Indonesia : Kalimantan, Sumatera, Malaysia : Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak

Orlitia were extremely common throughout the food markets of  Chao Tou in Guangzhou.  It was primarily adult animals in the marketplace.   It is likely that many of these animals were caught using fishhooks, bait, and "trout lines" judging by what the Turtle Survival Alliance volunteer veterinarians found with confiscated animals.

The animal below was pictured in the Guangzhou Chao Tou marketplace.   It was an extremely uncommon brown version of an Orlitia.

The animals below were housed on tile in  a Guangzhou food market stall

The animals below were found  in the Chengdu pet markets.   They came into the market while we were looking around and were shipped in in a standard wooden crate (similar to that seen in the Notochelys platynota page).  A total of six animals were in the crate.   While four were placed in a fifty gallon aquarium,  the other two were moribund and left in the crate.  It was oddly reminiscent of the pictures from Kadoorie Farm when they unpackaged the confiscated shipment including well over one thousand Orlitia.



World Chelonian Trust

PO Box 1445

Vacaville, CA


