Three tortoises stolen from Honolulu Zoo
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Someone made a fast getaway with three juvenile star tortoises from the Honolulu Zoo during the weekend.
Zoo officials said the tortoises, which are 3 to 4 inches long, were kept in a case with a glass front and wire mesh sides in the Children's Zoo area.
Star tortoises are found throughout Asia. When they are fully grown, most are about 10 inches long.
Sometime between 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday, someone cut a hand-sized hole in one of the wire mesh sides of the enclosure and took the tortoises. Zoo-keepers noticed the missing animals Saturday morning.
The tortoises are valued at $300 to $600 each. Zoo officials filed a report with Honolulu Police Department.
"Somebody knew what they were after, because there were other species that were there that were not as valuable," said Ken Redman, zoo director.
Star tortoises, also known as the Asian star tortoise or the Indian star tortoise, are found throughout Asia, mainly in brush wood, sand dunes or scrub lands.
A star tortoise has a yellowish tan head and a distinct shell.
The shells of the star tortoise are elongated and punctuated with sharply elevated, yellow, star-shaped mounds. When fully grown, most star tortoises are 10 inches long.
"It's not your basic tortoise," Redman said. "You could put one in each pocket and one in your back pocket."
Police are still investigating. Lt. Jeff Richards of HPD's Criminal Investigation Division said if the tortoises are valued above $300, then felony theft charges could apply.
"If they (the suspects) can be identified it is a felony theft case plus some type of trespassing," Richards said.
Redman said the tortoise is not endangered but some state laws governing the sale and distribution of star tortoises are in place.
Star tortoises are a favorite commodity of international animal smugglers who attempt to bring large quantities of the reptile into Southeast Asian countries where they end up as pets, stuffed decorations or a meal.
On Nov. 17, wildlife officials in the Indian city of Chennai seized a suitcase filled with 540 star tortoises from an airport employee at the Chennai International Airport. Since August, officials there have confiscated more than 2,600 star tortoises before they were smuggled out of the country.
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
