Railway worker caught in possession of endangered turtles

This comes after police on duty at Hanoi Railway Station on June 2 noticed a suspicious worker carrying a large rucksack. Upon stopping the man and searching his belongings they discovered 17 turtles, all of which are suspected to be endangered species, hidden inside several carton boxes.

Upon being questioned by the police, the man confessed to being hired to transport the wild animals from Da Nang to Hanoi, with the intention of sending them to Mong Cai in Quang Ninh by road.

A further investigation is currently underway.

A number of local turtle and tortoise species have been listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with their existence threatened by individuals keen to trade them as exotic pets or hunt them for food. This is in addition to continued damage being done to their natural habitat.