Two Men Arrested After 31 Endangered Turtles Seized

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); });

2022-05-19 HKT 18:16

Share this story

facebook

  • Two men arrested after 31 endangered turtles seized

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Thursday said it had seized 31 endangered freshwater turtles, arresting two men.

Ten of the turtles were already dead when officers found them along with some hunting tools at a Kowloon home on Tuesday, in a joint operation with the police.

The AFCD said indigenous species like Golden Coin Turtles and Big-headed Turtles, as well as non-local ones like a Wattle-necked Softshell Turtle, were found.

It said it believes some of the reptiles were hunted here in Hong Kong for local sale.

"We have been collecting evidence and information on the suspects throughout and once we collected enough information, we invited the police for a collaboration work to effect this case," said Dr Edward Lau, the department's endangered species protection officer.

The department said the turtles can fetch prices as high as around HK$10,000.

"All of them are listed as either endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] Red List, meaning that they are really threatened by extinction. At the same time, they are also listed on the CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, so their trade is regulated by law internationally," said Lau.

The AFCD said it would be looking after the surviving turtles while its investigation continued.

RECENT NEWS

Hong Kong Stablecoins Bill Officially Passed, Set To Come Into Effect Later This Year

The Hong Kong government welcomed the Legislative Council’s passing of the Stablecoins Bill today, 21 May 2025. The b... Read more

From Fishermans Son To Fintech Founder: How CapBay Grew RM 6,000 To RM 4 Billion

What started as a RM6,000 loan funded out of their own pockets has grown into over RM4 billion disbursed to more than 2... Read more

Ping An Launches EagleX Global Version For Real-Time Climate Risk Insights

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd, announced that its subsidiary, Ping An Property & Casualty Insuran... Read more

FWD Resubmits Hong Kong IPO Application Amid Market Recovery

FWD Group, an insurance company backed by billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai, submitted a new application for an initial p... Read more

Hong Kong Police Crush HK$118M Crypto Laundering Ring, 500 Mule Accounts

In a fresh crackdown on crypto-related crime in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong police arrested 12 individuals for running a c... Read more

Adyen And JCB Launch Card-on-File Tokenisation To Boost Payment Security

Adyen and JCB Co., Ltd. have launched JCB’s card-on-file (COF) tokenisation service, designed to improve the securit... Read more