473 protected mud turtles seized in shipment from Mexico - Bangkok Post
Live and dead mud turtles, a species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), are concealed in five international express parcels at Suvarnabhumi airport's inbound cargo warehouse. (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation) The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has seized 473 live and dead mud turtles, a protected species, smuggled into Thailand from Mexico in a shipment falsely declared as leather belts.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin said on Friday that officials from the Suvarnabhumi airport wildlife checkpoint and relevant agencies jointly intercepted the shipment on Nov 3.
The turtles, belonging to the Kinosternidae family, were concealed in five international express parcels at the airport's inbound cargo warehouse free zone, said Mr Suchart.
Authorities detected irregularities during X-ray screening of high-risk parcels arriving on flight KE657 from Mexico. The packages, which were addressed to recipients in Thailand, had been falsely declared as containing "leather belts".
Officials seized the containers and opened them for inspection in the presence of representatives from Thai Airways International Plc, discovering a total of 473 turtles both still alive and dead inside, said the minister.
The case involves alleged violations of the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act 2019, the Customs Act 2017, the Animal Epidemics Act 2015 and the Royal Ordinance on Fisheries 2015. The case has been forwarded to investigators at Suvarnabhumi airport police station for legal action.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation would hand over the seized turtles to its wildlife health unit for medical treatment and care in accordance with animal welfare standards, according to officials.
The department said it would step up the screening of air cargo from high-risk countries to prevent international wildlife trafficking networks from using Thailand as a transit point.
Mr Suchart said the ministry attached great importance to preventing and suppressing international wildlife trafficking, which threatens biodiversity and violates both domestic and international laws.
The seizure demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence sharing and risk analysis among relevant agencies, he added.
Officials from relevant agencies jointly inspect mud turtles concealed in five parcels at Suvanabhumi airport's inbound cargo warehouse on Nov 3.Β (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)
