(KH) Reptile seizure in Cambodia

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Cambodia seizes smuggled snakes, turtles

 

4 days ago

 

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian authorities have seized nearly half a tonne of

live pythons and turtles that were being smuggled from Thailand to Vietnam,

a wildlife conservationist group said on Thursday.

 

The animals, which included 11 reticulated pythons, 13 Burmese pythons and

257 turtles, were confiscated on Monday in Battambang province, about 300

kilometres (180 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, the Wildlife Alliance said.

 

Most of the animals had been " illegally collected (in Cambodia) and had been

moved to a large-scale holding facility in Thailand before eventually being

shipped to Vietnam through Cambodia, " the group said in a statement.

 

Weighing 418.5 kilogrammes, the haul of creatures included Asian box

turtles, Malayan snail-eating turtles, black marsh turtles, 12 threatened

yellow-headed temple turtles, and two red-eared slider turtles.

 

Yellow-headed temple turtles, which are depicted on the walls of the famed

Angkor temples, are of special cultural significance in Cambodian folklore

and legend.

 

" They are depicted as divine creatures of royalty. Yet their numbers

steadily decrease each year due to habitat loss and the illegal wildlife

trade, " the group said.

 

The animals were confiscated from a Chevrolet pick-up truck with military

licence plates, the group said, adding that a 32-year-old military

lieutenant was being questioned.

 

Wildlife Alliance officials said most of the animals were released on

Wednesday into their natural habitats, including in the kingdom's Tonle Sap

lake.

 

The illegal wildlife trade flourishes in Cambodia, fuelled by corrupt

authorities and weak legislation.

 

Most of the trafficked animals feed the regional demand for exotic pets or

traditional medicines, although a growing number are ending up in small

private zoos throughout Cambodia.