Agents at the Galápagos Islands airport discovered 185 baby giant tortoises hidden inside a suitcase. Ten had already died of asphyxiation.
Bitter discovery at the airport of Baltra Island, in the Galápagos archipelago: last Sunday the agents found 185 baby giant tortoises hidden inside a suitcase which was to be boarded on a direct flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Unfortunately about 10 baby turtles had already died of asphyxiation, as the animals had been wrapped in plastic as if they were objects. The surviving specimens were then transferred to a recovery center on the neighboring island of Santa Cruz.
The turtles were immobilized with plastic, they were detected by our x-ray equipment inside a red suitcase. pic.twitter.com/HC9AhUPOT5
– Galapagos Ecological Airport (@aerogalapagos) March 28, 2021
During the usual inspections with X-ray scanners, an airport operator realized that the contents of the suitcase were suspicious. He then decided to block the luggage and when he opened it he found himself faced with a distressing sight. The suitcase, containing the 185 Galápagos giant tortoises of just 3 months, had been brought to the port by a transport company that had declared that the baggage contained souvenirs. The police then decided to question all the employees of the company responsible for the shipment, while a policeman, suspected of being involved in the case, was arrested. On the same Sunday, the Ministry of the Environment and the Procuratorate General of Ecuador opened an investigation to shed light on the matter.
#URGENT | During a routine inspection between @aerogalapagos and @parquegalapagos at the #Baltra airport, 185 hatchling turtles were detected in a suitcase that was being moved to mainland Ecuador. Prosecutor's Office and #UPMA are taking proceedings. News in development. pic.twitter.com/qXHqmGyukZ
– Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (@Ambiente_Ec) March 28, 2021
Yet another case of Galápagos turtle smuggling
It is not the first time such incidents have occurred in the country. As pointed out by Minister Mata, this is yet another crime against wildlife. The Galápagos tortoises are the largest land tortoises in the world and their weight can reach up to 300 kg. Each baby Galápagos giant tortoise can be worth up to $ 5.000. One of the greatest threats to this extraordinary species is the illegal trade in exotic animals, which are in great demand by collectors. In Ecuador, smuggling is severely punished with sentences ranging from one to three years in prison for traffickers.
Source: Ministry of the Environment and Water of Ecuador/Twitter
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