Vietnamese news outlet nhandan.com.vn reports that last week, Ha Long city police uncovered a major wildlife trafficking case. Drawing on intelligence, they intercepted a suspicious car and found 340 wild turtles including big-headed turtles, elongated tortoises and keeled box turtles, which are all classified as endangered according to the IUCN’s Red List. The trafficker was arrested and the animals were confiscated for further investigation.
Recently, Quang Ninh police have discovered many wild turtle smuggling cases; back in November, ENV posted that they succeeded in preventing the import of 127 turtles. This case once again not only shows their efforts in the battle against wildlife trade, but also highlights the necessity for strict penalties to deter others not to commit similar crimes.
Photo courtesy of nhandan.com.vn