Radiated tortoises are protected in Madagascar and listed on Appendix I of CITES, which prohibits commercial international trade. Neither has stopped collection. The Toliara seizure exposed a stockpiling operation, with animals crowded in unsanitary conditions; hundreds died despite rescue efforts, and holding facilities in the region were overwhelmed for months afterwards.
Demand runs on two tracks. The shells and pattern make the species valuable in the international pet trade, and the animals are also taken for meat within Madagascar, where traditional local taboos that once protected them have weakened.
The species is also connected to one of the longest documented reptile lifespans. Tu'i Malila, a radiated tortoise kept by the Tongan royal family and said to have been presented by James Cook in the 1770s, died in 1965 at an estimated age approaching 190 years.