Zoom News : Dec 25, 2020, 08:25 PM
Chennai: A giant Aldabra tortoise has gone missing from Crocodile Park at Mahabalipuram, 56 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, reported NDTV. The tortoise is the second largest in the world, weighing around 80-100 Kg and said to be worth over Rs 10 Lakh in the international markets.The incident being considered as a theft, occurred around six weeks back at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Centre for Herpetology, but has been made public now only.A case of theft as been registered and the police has launched an investigation. It is being considered an ‘inside job’ and the staff of the park are being questioned in the regard. According to the police, the suspected theft took place in the intervening night of November 11 and 12. They believe that the animal could have been stolen for possible medical benefits attributed to its body parts.“There were no CCTVs near the enclosure of the giant tortoise, but we detected activity outside the park in the middle of the night. We suspect a vehicle carried the animal on ECR. We are working on some leads. We suspect there could be insider involvement,” senior police officer E Sundaravathanam told NDTV.Aldabra tortoises are among one of the world’s largest land tortoises. They can reach sizes of up to 550 pounds and age up to 150 years. They are native to Aldabra Island, one of the Seychelles northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.The crocodile park director was not available for comment, according to the NDTV report. No such incident has been reported from the park until now.