Good news from Libya
Customs officers have just seized a total of 1,700 Kleinmann’s tortoises (Testudo kleinmanni) in a minibus and a heavy truck. These were the first 2 seizures observed in Libya since the July 2013 publication of “On the trail” n°1, the bulletin of Robin des Bois dedicated to poaching and smuggling endangered animal species.
They prove that despite the political and social chaos, wildlife is not completely left to the devices of traffickers and militia. The 2 vehicles were heading to Egypt. The first reports show that the 200 tortoises in the minibus were collected in the desert to the south of Tripoli. The 1,500 tortoises found in 18 bags inside the truck were collected in an area south of Benghazi.