INDIA — People will do all kinds of things to retain, restore, or enhance their sexual stamina or prowess. Blue pills, expensive pumps, questionable lotions, and bizarre potions are only a drop in the love bucket of miracle cures used by people determined to keep their groove thang eternally young and active.Recently, 2000 rare freshwater turtles destined to become casualties in the battle for sexual potency were rescued from poachers after north Indian police received a tip concerning their whereabouts.

The turtles, estimated to be worth $23,600, were found inside of a house in Jaswant Nagar in the Uttar Pradesh state, which is about 125 miles west of the state capital of Lucknow. Packed in sacks for transportation, the turtles would have eventually graced the tables of black market purchasers who believe their meat has aphrodisiac qualities. Five men who are believed to have planned to ship the turtles to the eastern state of West Bengal, as well as other Asian countries including Thailand and Malaysia, were arrested.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that a large chunk of the contraband finds its way to Southeast Asian countries, where turtle meat is converted into crunchy chips for convenient consumption,” Ram Kumar, police chief for the Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh explained.

“Etawah was being used as a transport point for poachers who picked up turtles from the Chambal river, which is rich in the species,” Kumar continued. According to him, the turtles were returned to the river.

In December of 2006, wildlife officials saved about 1,000 turtles that were poached for the same reasons.

The Turtle Survival Alliance says that there are 28 tortoise and freshwater turtle species and subspecies in India, making the region one of the most accommodating for the creatures. Unfortunately, nearly 40-percent of the species is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.