The Taipei Customs Office’s express cargo inspections team has seized a shipment of protected reptiles.
The shipment included two critically endangered ploughshare tortoises, the office said, adding that the species is the most valuable tortoise in the world, with the pair valued at up to NT$2.4 million (US$77,295).
The shipment also included 21 Assam roofed turtles, which is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the office said.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The office at 2:30pm on Thursday received an express cargo shipment from Malaysia labeled as tropical fish, it said.
The team opened the packages after noticing a discrepancy in documentation for the shipment and found 53 reptiles, it said.
The office consulted National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Wildlife Conservation, which said that 26 of the animals in the shipment were endangered.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The shipment included three young crocodiles, but two of them had died in transit, the office said.
There were also 27 red-eared slider turtles, it said, adding that the combined value of the 53 animals was estimated at more than NT$5 million.
Customs officials said they would charge the intended recipient, surnamed Lin (林), with contravening the Foreign Trade Act (貿易法) and the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
Separately, customs officials on May 17 discovered three ploughshare tortoises in the check-in luggage of a traveler from Malaysia.
The largest of the three tortoises recovered in May was 41cm long and valued at NT$1.27 million, the office said, adding that the other two recovered with it were 26cm and 24cm long.
The two discovered on Thursday were 40cm and 41cm long, the office added.
Only about 400 ploughshare tortoises are believed to remain in the wild and they can only be found in a small area in Madagascar, the university said.
However, up to six eggs can be laid by a single female in captivity, it said, adding that about 6,000 of either sex are in the hands of private owners worldwide.
Their value is measured in centimeters, with each centimeter valued at about US$1,000, it said, adding that the average length of an adult male is 41.48cm.
Private collectors are advised to check whether animals are listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora before importing them, the office said.
Failure to do so could result in a breach of Article 40 of the Wildlife Conservation Act, potentially resulting in a prison term of six months to five years and a fine of NT$300,000 to NT$1.5 million, it said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS