Philippines seizes 1,500 rare turtles in luggage

Some 1,500 live exotic turtles -- some restrained with duct-tape -- have been found inside an airline passenger's luggage, Philippines authorities said Monday, as they vowed a crackdown on the lucrative wildlife trade.

The Philippines is a major source and transit point of wildlife trafficking, according to a 2018 report by the US State Department.

The turtles and tortoises were found at Manila airport on Sunday in the luggage of a Filipino passenger, who had arrived from Hong Kong, hidden among clothes and shoes.

The person fled before authorities could confront him, customs officials said.

"We saw the images from the x-ray (machine)," Manila airport customs chief Carmelita Talusan told AFP.

"We never expected it would reach as many as 1,530," Talusan said.

"Our staff were taking care not to hurt them because duct tape was used to immobilise the turtles."
"We are stepping up our all-out drive against the black market of endangered species."