“I have a top that leads me to life, but a bottom that doesn’t.”

Digital illustration by Tony Aung Khant Htin Lin

This is a Burmese Star Tortoise that I, Tony have drawn. It is black and white because I’m too lazy to color it in. Also I think it looks better in black and white.

“Hi, I am the Burmese Star Tortoise and my species has become endangered.” said the Burmese Star Tortoise.

“Save us, please.”

The Burmese Star Tortoise is critically endangered because of the popularity of its meat. Their meat is eaten by native Burmese and also sold at Chinese food markets.

The breeding of Burmese Star Tortoises is difficult. The first successful breeding while in captivity was at Taipei Zoo, Taiwan, where a few Burmese Star Tortoises were hatched in 2003.

The Burmese Star Tortoise has a star-shaped pattern on its domed carapace or in other terms, shell. It has bumps on its shell that look like stars.

If you ever encounter a Burmese Star Tortoise in the wild or on the plate of your dish, try not to hunt nor eat it. This hunting and eating is the biggest reason these species are being endangered. If this keeps going, they’ll be extinct.