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The airport’s officials discovered the two suitcases’ owner’s identity and summoned him by loudspeaker call to join the custom services department, but then the suspect ran away. The identified Angonoka and Radiata type turtles have long been being part of the protected animal species of the Malagasy fauna. The seized booty got entrusted by the ministerial Environment department to an association called TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE, a major international group fighting worldwide for protection of turtle species. Such a smuggling case affecting the protection of Madagascar’s nature is in no way an exceptional matter. TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE as well as nature protection associations of its kind often have to regret that a very low number of players in this illegal trade end up behind bars. The two suitcases’ owner is wanted by police forces by now.
A local protected animal species trafficking network has newly been brought to light. At the international airport of Ivato, the border police services and custom officers found out more than 500 turtles heaped up inside a couple of suitcases belonging to an Egyptian national. The main suspect was on his way to Nairobi, Kenya.