42 endangered live lizards seized at Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong customs officers have announced the seizure of 42 endangered live lizards – with an estimated market value of HK$210,000 – at the city’s international airport.
On Monday, customs officers inspected an air consignment from Australia, declared to contain “dehumidifier, air purifier, milk powder.”
“Upon inspection, the suspected scheduled endangered live lizards were found concealed inside the dehumidifiers, air purifiers and milk powder cans,” the Customs and Excise Department said in a statement published on Tuesday.
The reptiles were handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, they added.
Authorities also warned that, under Hong Kong law, the illegal importing, exporting, or possessing of endangered animals could be punished by a maximum fine of HK$10 million and up to 10 years in jail.
Last year, Hong Kong seized about 550 plant and animal specimens at its borders, including live orchids, American ginseng, dried seahorses, gastrodia, dendrobium, and shark fins of endangered shark species.
In April 2024, customs officers seized 63 endangered live turtles with an estimated market value of more than HK$810,000 and arrested a 37-year-old transit passenger from Malaysia. The man was later convicted and sentenced to one year and three months in prison.
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