Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: AFP PHOTO / SERFOR 19:34 p.m., December 21, 2023

4,000 Amazonian freshwater turtles, which were to be illegally sold in Indonesia, were seized by Peruvian authorities at Lima airport. They were found in small clear plastic containers inside cardboard boxes.

Peruvian authorities have seized 4,000 Amazonian freshwater turtles at Lima's international airport, which were to be sold illegally in Indonesia, the National Forest and Wildlife Service (Serfor) said Thursday. "Serfor intercepted at Jorge Chavez airport a shipment of live turtles that were to be exported to Indonesia," the environment ministry said in a statement.

The shipment included juvenile freshwater turtles of two species, Podocnemis unifilis and Podocnémis expansa, as they are scientifically known. They were found in small clear plastic containers inside cardboard boxes. They were taken to a breeding centre in Serfor.

Two species threatened with extinction

Both species are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires the regulation of their trade. The species Podocnemis unifilis, commonly known as the yellow-spotted Amazon tortoise or Cayenne's Podocnemid, is classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

>>

READ ALSO - Nearly 500 arrests linked to trafficking in protected species, says Interpol

The species Podocnemis expansa, commonly known as the arrau turtle, is the second largest freshwater turtle in the Amazon. Its carapace can grow up to 51 cm long. Illegal wildlife trafficking is worth an estimated $20 billion worldwide. It is considered one of the four most lucrative crimes, according to Interpol. According to CITES, turtles are one of the most endangered groups of animals in the world.