{A 32-year-old Egyptian woman was arrested in Madagascar while trying to smuggle 453 radiated tortoises.}
The tortoises are only found in the south of Madagascar.
The highly endangered terrestrial reptiles were discovered hidden the woman’s two suitcases.
The suspect was due to travel on a Kenya Airways flight from Antananarivo on Saturday afternoon.
The wild animals were wrapped in eight bags and packed in two different suitcases.
The illicit consignment was detected at the security control when the duty officers opened the suitcases for a routine inspection.
The Egyptian woman was immediately arrested, though she denied being the owner of the suitcases with the poached tortoises.
Police said her final destination was Khartoum in Sudan via Nairobi, which was considered as an irregular route for such a traveller.
The destruction
Arousing suspicion too was that the woman arrived in Antananarivo on June 18.
“It is uncommon for international visitors to depart only three days after their arrival in the country,” one police officer said.
According to the police sources, the Malagasy tortoises were said to be headed to Bangkok where each was reportedly sold for between $1,000 and $20,000.
The Malagasy law imposes heavy fines and prison sentences on wildlife traffickers.
Poaching has become more widespread and was endangering the unique biodiversity of the Indian Ocean island state.
“If we fail to stop the poaching and the destruction of the turtles’ habitat in the south, we are at risk of losing these species in less than 50 years,” Mr Tiana Ramahaleo of the WWF Conservation Science and Species Programme, once warned.
Africa Review
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