On the morning of February 23, Huanggang customs seized 3,300 turtles that were hidden in a mesh bag in a trough attached to the bottom of a truck entering from Hong Kong, according to China's Inspection and Quarantine's website.
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The truck was declared empty, but an inspection turned up the turtles, which ranged from the 'size of a thumb' to about 20 centimeters.
The 3,300 yellow-spotted river turtles weighed 86 kilograms. The species is native to South America and can live to around 70 years in the wild.
The Shenzhen Daily reported that a strange odor alerted the inspectors and identified the amphibians as Brazilian tortoises.
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[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
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