Gongbei Customs said in a statement yesterday that its officers have seized three endangered live tortoises hidden inside a dual-plate passenger vehicle at the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).
According to the statement, the case occurred around noon on August 3, when officers inspected an inbound dual-plate passenger vehicle and discovered abnormalities in the driver’s luggage.
Further inspection revealed three large tortoises concealed in a backpack and two black bags inside the car, the statement said, adding that each tortoise measured about 50 centimetres in length and weighed over 15 kilograms.
The driver was unable to provide legal documentation and admitted to receiving a fee to transport the reptiles across the border, the statement noted.
Identification conducted by the South China Wildlife Species Identification Centre (華南野生動物物種鑒定中心) confirmed the specimens as sulcata tortoises.
The sulcata tortoise, also known as the African spurred tortoise, is the largest mainland tortoise species in Africa, and the third-largest tortoise species in the world, behind the Galápagos tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise, according to Wikipedia.
The statement said that the tortoises are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are classified as national second-class protected wildlife in the Chinese mainland. The three tortoises are currently being cared for by a professional organisation, the statement added.
Gongbei Customs stressed that, according to CITES, the “Wildlife Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China”, and the “Regulations of the Import and Export of Endangered Wild Animals and Plants”, it is illegal to carry endangered species or their products across the border without proper certificates, adding that serious violations may constitute a crime and carry criminal liability.
This undated handout photo provided by Gongbei Customs yesterday shows 3 tortoises seized by customs officicials at the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on August 3.
