Philippines seizes 1,500 rare turtles in luggage

MANILA: Some 1,500 live exotic turtles -- some restrained with duct-tape -- have been found inside an airline passenger’s luggage, Philippines authorities said Monday, as they vowed a crackdown on the lucrative wildlife trade. The Philippines is a major source and transit point of wildlife trafficking, according to a 2018 report by the US State Department. The turtles and tortoises were found at Manila airport on Sunday in the luggage of a Filipino passenger, who had arrived from Hong Kong, hidden among clothes and shoes. The person fled before authorities could confront him, customs officials said.