Gongbei Customs said in a statement on Friday that its officers have recently intercepted separately three mainland women at Zhuhai’s Gongbei checkpoint, as customs officers found they were carrying six live tortoises in the plastic carrier bags they were carrying when they entered Zhuhai from Macau through the “nothing to declare” channel.
According to the statement, customs officers intercepted two women skipping the baggage inspection when walking past the X-ray machine on September 30.
Customs officers found four tortoises in the first woman’s luggage, which were hidden in socks inside black mesh bags in yellow plastic carrier bags, the statement said, adding that an hour later, customs officers discovered another woman who used the same method to smuggle two tortoises .
The six tortoises were confirmed to be yellow-margined box turtles (Cuora flavomarginata), also known as Chinese box tortoises , which are an endangered species, an ancient animal of the era of the dinosaurs, because of which they are known as a “living fossil”, the statement pointed out.
According to the statement, the tortoises are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Gongbei customs will transfer the tortoises to the Zhuhai agriculture authorities.
The statement did not reveal the purpose of smuggling the tortoises from Macau to the mainland.
90 live ‘vampire crabs’ seized from local man
Meanwhile, Gongbei Customs said in a separate statement on Friday that its officers recently intercepted a man from Macau at Zhuhai’s Gongbei checkpoint, as they found he was carrying 66 live “vampire crabs” and four live snails in his hand luggage when entering Zhuhai through the “nothing to declare” channel.
The statement said the man appeared to be attempting to intentionally blend into the crowd at the checkpoint in an effort to evade customs inspection. Nevertheless, customs officers intercepted him.
According to the statement, the 66 live crabs seized from him included seven kinds of vampire crabs, all wrapped in a white plastic bag containing a large number of transparent plastic tubs carrying one small live crab each inside.
The crabs have bright colours and are of different varieties, each with a body length of no more than three centimetres, the statement said.
According to Wikipedia, vampire crabs, scientifically known as geosesarma dennerle, are native to India, Southeast Asia and other regions. They are regarded as an alien species in China. The vampire crabs are popular in the aquarium trade, comprising 67 recognised species.
Gongbei Customs stressed that carrying or mailing alien species and their products to the mainland must be approved by the relevant administrative department in advance. Their owners must hold an import certificate and take the initiative to declare the animals to customs officers, as otherwise the border crossers face legal action by the judicial authorities.
These undated handout photos provided by the Gongbei Customs on Friday show the tiny vampire crabs in plastic mini-containers and endangered tortoises.
