Thai authorities arrested a Taiwanese teenager at an airport in Bangkok for allegedly smuggling 30 protected tortoises valued at about US$9,000 by taping them under her clothing, wildlife officials said on Wednesday.
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers who often sell highly prized endangered animals on the black market.
The 19-year-old’s unusual movements as she prepared to board a flight to Taipei early on Tuesday caught authorities’ attention, Thailand’s wildlife conservation department said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
A search of the teen at the Suvarnabhumi Airport’s departure terminal found that she had strapped Indian star tortoises — 29 alive and one dead — to her body, the department said.
“The suspect had used adhesive tape to immobilize the animals, packed them into cloth bags and attached them to her body to evade detection,” it added.
The Thai customs department said the tortoises — protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — fetched a high price on the black market, and placed their total estimated value at about US$9,000.
The teen was charged with illegally transporting animals and evading customs controls.
Authorities said they were investigating whether she was part of a wider smuggling network.
Indian star tortoises are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which says that the tortoises have been targeted to meet international demand for “exotic pets.”
The surviving tortoises were transferred to wildlife conservation officials for care and to serve as evidence.
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