3,000 Tortoise Seized By Customs

3,300 live tortoises smuggled from Hong Kong were on Friday seized in Guangdong by customs in the southern province.

A customs official, Wang Shaowen, said that the tortoises, which weighed 86 kgs in total, were discovered by Huanggang Customs in Shenzhen.

Upon being stopped, the truck was initially declared “empty” but upon further investigation, a hidden compartment was discovered, which was where the tortoises were kept.

According to Wang, the truck driver said he was carrying the tortoises “for someone else.”

The tortoises are in quarantine while the investigation continues.