Global News - August 2007
< Back to Global News
Police save 7,000 turtles in Hong Kong
Fri 31 August 2007 16:45 UK — Asia
Police in Hong Kong have arrested two men who were trying to smuggle more than 7,000 live turtles to mainland China.
According to the Associated Press (AP), reports in the local Ming Pao Daily News said that the men were apprehended on Wednesday (August 29th) as they tried to load 300 cartons of the creatures onto a speedboat.
Most of the animals were snapping turtles - a species found in Canada and South America - but the haul also included razorback musk turtles.
While none of the recovered turtles were endangered, the police said that the arrest would send a message to others who might plan to try and smuggle animals into China.
The Ming Pao paper is reported to have quoted marine police inspector Lai Chi-hung as saying that authorities believe that the animals would have been sold in mainland China as pets.
According to the report, another smuggler managed to evade capture and escaped in the speedboat.
Recently, smugglers in Mexico were caught with 57,000 rare turtle eggs. Local officials said that the men were trying to sell the eggs as they are considered a delicacy in the region.
< Back to Global News |
Read IAR News
Read IAR News >
|
July 2008
Wildlife traders sent to prison in Indonesia
Following a joint raid earlier this year by the Forestry Department, International Animal Rescue and the Institute of Animal Advocacy (LASA), two traders in Jatinegara market, Jakarta, Indonesia were arrested. June 2008
Update on IAR’s work in Indonesia
As well as macaques and slow lorises, our team in Indonesia has ended the suffering of a number of endangered Javan gibbons living in misery in a centre known as Cikananga. |
