Ecuador policeman held in Galapágos Islands over 185 baby giant tortoises in suitcase
Posted Yesterday at 9:06pm
An Ecuadorian policeman has been arrested after airport officials in the Galápagos Islands discovered 185 baby giant tortoises stuffed in a suitcase to be trafficked.
Key points:
- Ten of them had died by the time the suitcase was opened and another five have died since
- The policeman will be charged with crimes against wildlife and risks a three-year prison sentence
- The environment ministry said the surviving tortoises were taken to a breeding centre on the neighbouring Santa Cruz island
The reptiles, no more than three months old, were found in luggage destined for Guayaquil in mainland Ecuador during a routine inspection on Baltra Island, authorities said.
The juvenile critters had been wrapped in plastic, and 10 of them had died by the time the suitcase was opened.
Another five have died since, possibly due to stress, the environment ministry reported.
The policeman will be charged with crimes against wildlife and risks a three-year prison sentence, the prosecutor’s office in Ecuador tweeted.
The Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, are a protected wildlife area and home to unique species of flora and fauna.
The Galápagos are where Charles Darwin’s observation of birds and tortoises on different islands gave rise to his theory of natural selection.
The reptiles — the largest living tortoises in the world — are the volcanic islands’ star attraction, but are listed as endangered.
The environment ministry said the surviving tortoises were taken to a breeding centre on the neighbouring Santa Cruz island.
“The veterinary evaluation found that they are not in good health,” it added.
According to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the giant tortoise arrived in Galápagos from mainland South America some 2 to 3 million years ago, diversifying into 14 species on different islands.
After the death of Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise in 2012, 12 species are thought to remain today, scattered over 10 islands.
About 1.5 to 1.8 metres long, the slow-breeding creatures can live to over 100 years.
AFP
Posted Yesterday
Read the original coverage via ABC News (Australia) at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/ecuador-policeman-baby-tortoises-suitcase-galapagos-islands/100037890
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