On Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 Filipino customs official were shocked to find four suitcases full of different exotic turtles and tortoises at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Officials found approximately 1,500 duct-taped turtles wrapped and hidden in clothing in the four abandoned suitcases. Amongst the species of turtles and tortoises found were Star Tortoises, Red-foot Tortoises, African Spurred Tortoises, and Red-Eared Slider Turtles. The first three species of tortoises are all marked as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. If found, the passenger responsible for smuggling these turtles could face a hefty fine of up to 10 million Hong Kong dollars and 10 years in jail. If found, the passenger could be expecting jail time from Hong Kong authorities or Filipino authorities, but they both hold similar laws.
I was saddened to see that these turtles and tortoises had been in this condition, especially after visiting the Turtle Survival Center and hearing that around 60% of turtles and tortoises are threatened of extinction. It's quite obvious that the passenger had intentions of taking these turtles and illegally selling them, but after years of hard work from people such as the workers at the Turtle Survival Center, it is devastating to see that people would still do such a thing. These animals could have easily been overlooked and would have died had the Filipino customs officials not found them and this would have done even more damage to the number of these turtle species that exist.
Photo Courtesy of CNN
Photo Courtesy of CNN
Link to the article:https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/asia/philippines-turtles-duct-tape-suitcases-scli-intl/index.html
1 comment:
Wow! How sad, especially because these turtles are unlikely to be returned to their home population. Hopefully this article will help raise awareness to reduce the demand for smuggled turtles.
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