Border police inspect a batch of sulcata tortoises confiscated from smugglers in Xixiang, Bao’an District, on Sunday. A total of 24 live sulcata tortoises were seized from a vehicle during the incident. The sulcata tortoise inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa and was listed as an endangered species in 2012. Police believe smugglers wanted to sneak the tortoises into the Chinese mainland to be sold as pets. The tortoises have been sent to Shenzhen Wild Animals Rescue Center.

Peng Chao, Li Ang