Angelique
08-10-2006, 11:11 PM
NAIROBI, Kenya - A trail of droppings led Kenyan airport staff to 228 live tortoises packed as “shells” and destined for Thailand, officials said on Thursday.
“Airport staff heard movement and funny noises in the containers,” said Gichuki Kabukuru of Kenya Wildlife Services.
“They notified us when they saw the droppings,” he said.
Kabukuru said the leopard tortoises, named for their spotted shells, had arrived in metal crates from neighboring Uganda.
They would be cared for at an animal orphanage in Kenya’s capital Nairobi while an investigation was carried out, he said.
© 2006 Reuters Limited.
“Airport staff heard movement and funny noises in the containers,” said Gichuki Kabukuru of Kenya Wildlife Services.
“They notified us when they saw the droppings,” he said.
Kabukuru said the leopard tortoises, named for their spotted shells, had arrived in metal crates from neighboring Uganda.
They would be cared for at an animal orphanage in Kenya’s capital Nairobi while an investigation was carried out, he said.
© 2006 Reuters Limited.