Thousands of smuggled rare turtles seized by authorities in Malaysia

Reptiles would have been worth £28,000 in black market exotic pet trade

Some of the thousands of pig-nosed turtles seized after the Malaysian bust (Reuters)

Malaysia has seized 3,300 rare pig-nosed turtles after intercepting an attempt to smuggle the highly endangered species into the country by sea.

Seven packages of the turtles were found during a boat inspection near Johor on Malaysia’s southern coast on Wednesday.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which carried out the swoop, also said two people had been arrested.

The turtles, which are native to Australia and the island of Papua/New Guinea, were worth about £28,000, the agency added.

Authorities believe the smugglers hoped to sell the aquatic reptiles as exotic pets.

Their unique snout-shaped nose has made them popular but also put them at risk.

Because of rising demand for the turtles – which can grow to 28cm in length and weigh up to 20kg – the species is becoming increasingly endangered.

As well as feeding the exotic pet trade, pig-nosed turtles are also hunted for meat and used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries.

One study by researchers at the University of Canberra in Australia estimated the global population of the turtles has plummeted by 50% since 1981.

A report in 2014 by the conservation group Traffic concluded as many as two million pig-nosed turtle eggs were collected each year, and more than 80,000 live turtles had been seized from smugglers between 2003 and 2013.

Malaysia is considered a major transit point for the illegal trafficking of endangered species to other parts of Asia.