Turtles hidden in underwear died from stress — gang busted for smuggling endangered species
Turtles hidden in underwear died from stress — gang busted for smuggling endangered species
Five people have been arrested for illegally smuggling and distributing about 200 endangered animals, which they concealed in underwear and other hiding spots to bring into South Korea from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The animals were transported with their mouths bound or bodies compressed, stuffed into metal containers such as cookie tins. Forty-eight died in the process. Among the smuggled animals was a Yangtze alligator, classified at the most severe level of endangerment. The gang was also behind an incident in around May when a python roughly 10 meters long was discovered in the cargo hold of an intercity bus at Daegu's Seo-Daegu Express Bus Terminal.
The group sold 54 of the animals through online reptile communities, using code words such as "figurine" and "doll." Prosecutors seized 95 animals, which are now being cared for at the National Institute of Ecology. Among them was an albino reticulated python, a species that fetches millions of won on the black market.
20ki@heraldcorp.com
