A total of 185 baby tortoises smuggled from the Galápagos Islands were found during a routine inspection at an airport on Baltra Island, west of Ecuador, on Sunday.
They had been individually wrapped in plastic to limit motion but were noticed when the suitcase in which they had been packed was scanned.
The hatchling-sized juveniles are thought to be less than three months old. Officials said they can fetch more than $5,000 (about R75,000) per tortoise.
Smuggling is one of the biggest threats to the Galápagos tortoises.
TimesLIVE
WATCH | 185 baby tortoises found packed in suitcase
A total of 185 baby tortoises smuggled from the Galápagos Islands were found during a routine inspection at an airport on Baltra Island, west of Ecuador, on Sunday.
They had been individually wrapped in plastic to limit motion but were noticed when the suitcase in which they had been packed was scanned.
The hatchling-sized juveniles are thought to be less than three months old. Officials said they can fetch more than $5,000 (about R75,000) per tortoise.
Smuggling is one of the biggest threats to the Galápagos tortoises.
TimesLIVE
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