A wildlife official reported on Tuesday ( Jul 9 ) that Malaysian authorities have detained about 200 smuggled tortoises and turtles and arrested six members of an international crime syndicate known as the” Ninja Turtle Gang.”
Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, director-general of Malaysia’s wildlife and national parks office, said four Cambodians and two Malay were arrested during a Jul 2 assault on a home in Kuala Lumpur by officers and wildlife leaders.
He told AFP some 200 turtle and turtles worth an estimated RM246, 394 ( US$ 52, 300 ) were rescued during the attack, the second arrest in Malaysia in less than a week.
Many people in Asia hold the scepticism of crocodiles and tortoises as sources of happiness.
The Ninja Turtle Gang, an global violence circle engaged in reptile smuggling, is responsible for the six arrests, according to Abdul Kadir.
In an initial assault on Jun 29 and for sale in Southeast Asia, officers and wildlife authorities recovered 400 tortoises for US$ 805, 084 on the black market.
The critically endangered Chinese striped-necked frog, also known as the golden string frog, was among the creatures rescued in the most recent assault, according to Abdul Kadir.
Other endangered species included the red-footed tortoise, snapping turtle, sulcata tortoise, leopard tortoise, and endangered black pond tortoise, which can be found on Trinidad and Barbados in the Caribbean islands.
Initial investigations revealed that the reptiles were brought in from abroad to meet the lucrative pet market, according to Abdul Kadir.
Also discovered were three snakes, four softshell turtles, a skink and five frogs.
The quarantine center for the Malaysian wildlife department housed the rescued animals.
According to Abdul Kadir, the reptiles are illegally transported by road or smugglers aboard commercial flights.
According to a wildlife NGO called Traffic, Southeast Asian nations “function as sources, consumers, and as entrepots for wildlife originating from within the region as well as the rest of the world.”