Tagged: tortoise
Photos: Sacks of tortoises dumped on Mui Wo dock
Photos obtained by Lantau News throw further light on the attempt to smuggle African spurred tortoises on the weekend.
Local fisherman found the tortoises in sacks on the Mui Wo dock on Saturday evening and called the police.
Just some of the sacks of tortoises on the dock
The photos reveal many of the tortoises were full-grown adults and some had been kept in distressing conditions.
Tortoise lying on its back
The resident who passed on the photos (who asked to remain anonymous) said the sacks appeared to have been dumped on the dock by the would-be smugglers. Some sacks had broken open, revealing some tortoises lying on their backs.
He said it wasn’t clear if the creatures had been brought by boat or were waiting to be collected by boat.
More abandoned sacks of tortoises
The African spurred tortoise is the world’s third largest tortoise and is a popular pet. Trade in the species is illegal under the CITES treaty.
Another attempt to smuggle large African tortoises into Lantau
Around 20 young African spurred tortoises were found abandoned in Mui Wo last night – the second local incident involving the species within two weeks.
Ten days ago police found an African spurred tortoise among a haul of items confiscated from smugglers in Tai O. The latest incident appears to also involve an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle the creatures into Hong Kong.
A man reportedly came across the tortoises in a bag in the car park next to the Mui Wo Ferry Pier Road dock at about 6pm and called the police, Oriental Daily reports.
An AFCD spokesperson said 19 tortoises – each about 30 cm in length – were found in several linen bags in the car park and had been brought back to the AFCD’s Animal Management Center in Sheung Shui for temporary care.
The African spurred tortoise is the world’s third largest tortoise, capable of growing to 83 cm. It takes 15 years to reach maturity but live for more than 100 years.
It is listed under the Endangered Species Ordinance, meaning that owners must be able to establish its legal provenance, such as the invoice issued by the store.
They are not endangered but import and export are banned under the CITES treaty and they classified by the UN as vulnerable because of the disappearance of their habitat and their popularity as a pet.
Police are searching for the owner of the bags.
Photo: A young African spurred tortoise (RyanSeiler, Wikimedia)
Lantau Confidential 