Customs, DENR seize illegal wildlife shipment
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA), in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), last Friday arrested the unnamed recipient of a package from Malaysia which contained different wildlife species that did not have the necessary import and health clearances from DENR and its port of origin.
BOC-NAIA district collector Mimel Talusan, together with representatives from the Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit of the DENR, arrested the recipient at a warehouse in Pasay City.
The recipient – who was from Parañaque City and was a representative for the consignee – claimed the package containing 41 wildlife animals declared as “LEGO toys.”
Talusan said, upon examination, the package included 20 sulcata tortoises, 10 razorback turtles which can sell for up to P4,000 each, one red bearded dragon, two corn snakes and eight savannah monitors which can cost anywhere from $25 to $100 each, all concealed among LEGO toys.
The 41 animals are valued by DENR at around P284,000, but unfortunately, all died during shipping. – Robertzon Ramirez
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