Some 227 turtles that were rescued from smuggling in Hong Kong were transported to the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) in Miami on December 27,2001 to join Asian turtle conservation program.
"These 227 lucky turtles will be first received at the TSA temporary holding facilities based at Miami in Florida, where the taxonomic experts and veterinary surgeons specialized on turtles are already gathered there to provide health checks and veterinary care for the animals," said Dr Gary Ades, senior manager of fauna conservation in Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG).
KFBG now offers temporary shelter for over 6,000 individuals of twelve species of turtles, some of which are close to extinction.
Many of the turtles confiscated were already injured or sick on their arrival as they were smuggled in extremely poor conditions, said Idy Wong, public education officer of KFBG.
"The sooner we can send them to the United States, the larger number of them will survive and make contribution to the conservation of Asian turtles," she said, adding that another shipment of about 220 turtles to Miami is scheduled for December 28.
(China Daily January 4, 2002)
