A traveller was caught with 58 live tortoises strapped to her thighs at a border crossing after a strong smell gave her away.
Customs officers stopped the woman as she walked through the “Nothing to Declare” channel after they noticed suspicious objects hidden beneath her loose-fitting dress.
As they moved in to inspect her, they detected a strong animal odour.
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On searching under her dress, they found she was wearing tights that were visibly bulging and secured to her thighs with tape.
Inside the tights, officers discovered a large number of live reptiles – 58 in total.
The unusual bust took place at the Wenjindu Port border crossing as the woman attempted to enter Shenzhen, China, from Hong Kong on 2 May.
The Guangdong Penghai Judicial Appraisal Institute later identified 43 of the reptiles as Hermann’s tortoises and the remaining 15 as red-footed tortoises.
The former species, native to parts of Europe, is listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The latter, native to northern South America, has not been assessed by the IUCN, as reported by Need To Know.
Both species are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are regarded as non-native, potentially invasive species in China.
The reptiles were handed over to the Shenzhen Planning and Natural Resources Bureau for care.
The case has been transferred to customs anti-smuggling authorities for further investigation.
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