Recently in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Huanggang Customs officers intercepted a case of live endangered tortoise smuggling at the Futian Port, rescuing 30 land tortoises protected under international conventions.

Surveillance footage showed that while inspecting inbound travellers and their luggage in the passenger hall, customs officers noticed a woman wearing a long skirt who appeared unusually bulky and was walking hurriedly. She also attempted to conceal her body with a handbag, raising further suspicion. Officers guided her to a separate inspection area for further examination.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered the woman was wearing two pairs of tight pants. Between the layers, 30 live tortoises were tightly wrapped in black stockings and hidden. The animals were found curled up and visibly distressed. Some showed signs of dehydration and shell damage, with one exhibiting stress-induced shell closure.

A forensic evaluation by the Guangdong Penghai Judicial Appraisal Institute identified the tortoises as red-footed and yellow-footed tortoises of the Chelonoidis genus — species listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The rescued tortoises have been handed over to the Futian Bureau of Shenzhen’s Planning and Natural Resources Department for care and rehabilitation.

Customs anti-smuggling authorities noted a disturbing trend in recent years: smugglers increasingly use juvenile animals and conceal them in tight clothing to evade X-ray detection. Some even engage in “pre-sale smuggling,” arranging transactions in advance through social media.

Since the beginning of this year, Huanggang Customs has seized 32 batches of endangered species and related products, including live corals, chameleons, giant clams, and hawksbill turtle products.

近日，广东深圳，皇岗海关在福田口岸成功截获一起人身绑藏濒危活体陆龟案件，30只受国际公约保护的陆龟被及时解救。

监控画面显示，海关工作人员在福田口岸旅检大厅对进境旅客及其行李物品进行监管时，注意到一名女性旅客身着长款半身裙，体态十分臃肿、步履较为急促，还故意用手提袋遮挡身体，工作人员随即引导该名旅客到查验区作进一步检查。

经细致查验，竟发现该旅客穿着两层紧身裤，裤夹层内用黑色丝袜严密缠绕着30只活体龟。活体鬼蜷缩其中，状态紧张不安。海关工作人员称，部分个体已出现脱水及甲壳损伤，其中一只甚至呈现应激性闭壳反应。

经广东鹏海司法鉴定所鉴定，这30只活体龟为爬行纲龟鳖目陆龟科南美陆龟属红腿陆龟或黄腿陆龟，是被列入《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）附录Ⅱ的物种。

目前，这批活体龟已移交深圳市规划和自然资源局福田管理局收容救护。

海关缉私部门指出，此类案件近年呈现新特点：走私者多选择幼体动物，利用贴身衣物藏匿以规避X光机检测，甚至通过"预售式走私"在社交平台提前交易。

今年以来，皇岗海关共查获进出境濒危物种及其制品32批次，主要包括活体珊瑚、变色龙等物种，砗磲、玳瑁等制品。

女子紧身裤内藏30只活体陆龟进境被查