Endangered by trade: seizure analysis of the critically endangered Philippine Forest Turtle Siebenrockiella leytensis from 2004–2018

The Philippine or Palawan Forest Turtle Siebenrockiella leytensis is the only endemic turtle known to occur in the Philippines. It was assessed as Critically Endangered in 2000 and has been considered as one of the world’s top 25 most endangered turtles since 2003. The species is accorded protection nationally by the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act of 2001 and its international commercial trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). However, the publication of its rediscovery in 2004 triggered unrelenting poaching and trafficking for the pet trade nationally and internationally. With the aim of quantifying the extent of poaching and to provide insight on the trade dynamics, we analyzed seizure records from 2004–2018 and conducted physical and online market surveys in 2017–2018. Twenty-three (23) seizure incidents involving 4,723 Philippine Forest Turtles were recorded in the last 15 years. Based on an online survey, we estimated that an additional 1,200 Philippine Forest Turtles were smuggled and illegally sold in China in 2015. The majority of the 74 live individuals exported legally from the Philippines were likely sourced illegally from the wild and declared fraudulently as captive bred by exporters to obtain CITES permits. While habitat loss or degradation is a major threat, the illegal pet trade remains the most important factor threatening the survival of the Philippine Forest Turtles in the wild.