Officials examining four suitcases abandoned at an airport in the Philippines found more than 1,500 live turtles packed inside.
The unusual haul was discovered by workers at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport who opened the unclaimed baggage to find each suitcase filled with plastic boxes containing species including “Star Tortoise, Redfoot Tortoise, Sulcata Tortoise [and] Red-eared Slider”, the Manila Bulletin reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The suitcases had arrived at the airport from a flight originating in Hong Kong, and belonged to an unidentified Filipino passenger, the Philippine Star reports.
Authorities believe the would-be smuggler had a change of heart after learning about the penalties for wildlife trafficking.
“The passenger may have been informed of the vigilance of the port against illegal wildlife trade and its penalties, thus leaving the four x-rayed luggage [sic] unclaimed in the arrival area,” the Bureau of Customs said in a statement.
Signs inside the airport warn that smuggling animals is illegal and punishable by a hefty fine or up to two years in prison.
The turtles have been turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit for safekeeping, Rappler reports.
The discovery comes a week after officials in Malaysia discovered 3,300 rare pig-nosed turtles hidden on a boat at a southern port. Authorities believe smugglers were attempting to transport the endangered species into the country for sale as exotic pets on the black market, Reuters reports.
-
Philippines says it spotted Chinese naval ship near disputed islandSpeed Read
-
What 'Bongbong' Marcos' victory means for the Philippinesopinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
