Customs find 225 live turtles in bags at Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Customs find 225 live turtles in bags at airport
Thirapol Khumsuk
The Nation


Senior officials of Suvarnabhumi Airport Passenger Control Customs Bureau produce hundreds of turtles at a press conference yesterday. These reptiles, many of them still in plastic wraps, were smuggled into Thailand.

BANGKOK: -- Customs rescued 225 live spotted pond turtles worth about Bt1 million from four unclaimed luggage bags at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday.

Auychai Kultipmontre, director of the passenger control customs unit, said the baggage was left unattended next to carousel No 18 of the arrival hall in the early morning.

"Officials asked people there who owned these bags but no one came forward," he said.

The "suspicious" bags were then X-rayed.

"They were smuggled in. Normally, importers of such animals must seek and receive clearance from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation," he said.

The turtles were handed over to the airport's wildlife quarantine station while officials look further into the case to nail down the offenders.

It is not the first time turtles have been found at the airport.

Last year, on November 6, 423 Geocheleon radiata turtles and 52 spotted pond turtles were nabbed at the airport. Two days later, a Pakistani air passenger was arrested for carrying in 470 spotted pond turtles. On December 10, a Madagascan was caught illegally sneaking 60 radiated tortoises into the country.

Many Thais buy turtles as rare pets or for good luck, as turtles and tortoises are widely associated with long life.

A big spotted pond specimen can fetch up to Bt25,000.

Veterinarians said a long flight could exhaust the turtles, which are sometimes wrapped in plastic to prevent them from moving and attracting attention from authorities.

Some of them may even succumb to failed health during transit or soon after.


-- The Nation 2014-05-05

[NongKhaiKid]

Will TAT claim them as tourist arrivals ?

[NomadJoe]

Leaving them in plastic bags for the photo op is pretty <deleted> up.

[noitom]

A Pakistani and a Madagascan. Notice how the Thai press specifies when one of the many busts turns out to be a Non-Thai. Thai press continues to shade the facts to look like smuggling of wildlife and turtles is a "foreign" thing while everyone knows that Thais are the world's biggest smugglers and there will be no Thai bust of these plastic wrapped turtles who will be in the soup before we see a Thai Mr. Big hauled off in handcuffs.

[Payboy]

It is not the first time turtles have been found at the airport.

Some of them have even been enlisted to speed up the passport control queue.

[HooHaa]

Leaving them in plastic bags for the photo op is pretty <deleted> up.

explain why?

one would think that photos would be required as evidence and how much longer do you think it actually took?

i highly doubt they would be unwrapped previous to being transported to quarantine - most certainly they would not be unwrapped at the airport.

in addition the wrap was probably keeping them moist.

Edited May 5, 2014 by HooHaa

[tingtongteesood]

Thailand :> Hub of hubs and hub of illegal animal smuggling.

[Costas2008]

"Veterinarians said a long flight could exhaust the turtles"

Only the turtles?

Ask about me...........I hate these long flights

[JoeThePoster]

"Veterinarians said a long flight could exhaust the turtles"

Only the turtles?

Ask about me...........I hate these long flights

Those vets are on the ball, I tell ya. Nothing worse than a turtle with DVT.

[tracker1]

Must have been a decent sized suitcase !!!!

[Soutpeel]

It is not the first time turtles have been found at the airport.

Some of them have even been enlisted to speed up the passport control queue.

And one supposes with the dose of radiation given during the x-ray they may turn into mutant ninja turtles

[marko kok prong]

Bangkok resturant: special turtle soup. Customer arrives " can i have the Turtle soup",

Manager "soups off," See Fawlty towers gourmet night on dvd to explain sorry i could not upload it.

[techboy]

A Pakistani and a Madagascan. Notice how the Thai press specifies when one of the many busts turns out to be a Non-Thai. Thai press continues to shade the facts to look like smuggling of wildlife and turtles is a "foreign" thing while everyone knows that Thais are the world's biggest smugglers and there will be no Thai bust of these plastic wrapped turtles who will be in the soup before we see a Thai Mr. Big hauled off in handcuffs.

Don't be startin' this "everyone knows" crud! You have not done anything but start pissing a bunch of slander. No facts and "everyone" don't cut it as a reference.

[PaullyW]

Do they truly need 225 people standing there in the pic each holding a turtle? So many not-very-busy people. Should be one or maybe two guys in the photo and the rest doing other stuff. No wonder things take so long to get done here.