Mexican authorities rescue 3,400 trafficked baby turtles

MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities said Friday they had rescued over 3,400 protected baby turtles stuffed into cardboard boxes set to be trafficked.

During a roadblock in the southern state of Chiapas, agents found the critters “in overcrowded conditions” in boxes in a vehicle whose driver was arrested on wildlife trafficking charges, the environmental protection prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The baby animals were freshwater Meso-American sliders, native to Mexico, Central America and Colombia.

They are protected in Mexico against overexploitation.

“The specimens were transported without documentation proving their legal origin, which constitutes a violation of environmental regulations,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The turtles were taken to a specialized unit for rehabilitation and to determine whether they can be released back into the wild.

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Separately,  Bangladeshi scientists were also probing the deaths of more than 80 turtles in January which were found washed up on the beach at the time when the authorities concerned were informed about it, a government marine research institute said Thursday (January 30).

Olive ridley sea turtles are a relatively small and abundant species found in tropical waters the world over and can live for up to 50 years in the wild.

But their numbers are declining and they have periodically been victim to mass die-off events, including earlier this month in nearby southern India.