September 1
Hong Kong - Hong Kong police have arrested two men accused of trying to smuggle more than 7,000 live pet turtles to mainland China.

Marine police intercepted the two men Wednesday as they were loading about 300 cartons onto speedboats. The cartons were filled with clear plastic containers containing the tiny dark green turtles, each smaller than a human palm.

The turtles were seized along with counterfeit computer video discs. Together the turtles and discs were worth a total of US $820,000.

Most of the animals were snapping turtles, a species found in Canada and South America. Razorback musk turtles, native to the U.S., were also found. None of the smuggled species were endangered.

The animals were worth between US $21 to $192 each. There is a growing market in mainland China for pet turtles.
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I couldn't believe what those turtles were worth...hmmm...I wonder why China has a growing market for turtles.

Baby turtles are cute.