Four
suitcases abandoned in arrivals area contain rare and protected varieties of
tortoises
Hannah
Ellis-Petersen South-east Asia correspondent
Mon 4 Mar
2019 08.52 GMTLast modified on Tue 5 Mar 2019 00.40 GMT
Police in
the Philippines have
discovered 1,529 live turtles wrapped in duct tape inside suitcases abandoned
in an airport.
The
customs bureau seized four suitcases in Manila on Sunday and found they were filled
with rare and protected varieties including star tortoises, red-footed
tortoises, sulcata tortoises and red-eared sliders.
Officers
said the cases had been brought on a flight from Hong Kong by a passenger from
the Philippines and left unclaimed in the arrivals area of Manila’s Ninoy
Aquino international airport.
The
reptiles were valued at up to 4.5m pesos (£60,000). There is a high demand for
turtles as exotic pets, and they are valued for their meat and for use in
traditional medicine in some Asian countries.
The
Philippines has strict laws against animal smuggling and, if found, the carrier
could face up to two years in jail and a fine of 200,000 pesos.
Wildlife smuggling
is a problem throughout south-east Asia. The Philippine customs bureau seized
560 types of wildlife and endangered animals in 2018, including 250 geckos, 254
pieces of coral, and multiple species of reptile, and in 2019 it has already
discovered 63 iguanas, chameleons and bearded dragons in parcels, airline
baggage and international shipments.
The
turtles have been transferred to a monitoring unit for safekeeping.
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