WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2001

10,000 tortoises escape becoming into ‘turtle jelly' in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) - Customs officials seized about 10,000 live tortoises - some of them endangered species - being smuggled into Hong Kong on Tuesday aboard a boat from Macau.

The tortoises would have ended up in soup pots or possibly made into "turtle jelly," a gooey black substance eaten as a bitter snack by many southern Chinese who believe it has detoxifying properties and can improve skin complexion.

The Customs and Excise Department issued a statement claiming officials had carried out their "largest seizure of live food tortoises." Officials valued the animals at 3.2 million Hong Kong dollars (US$410,000).

Four men were arrested, the statement said.

People smuggling endangered species into Hong Kong can be jailed for a year and fined up to 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($64,000).

 

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