Spanish police said Wednesday they had dismantled Europe's biggest illegal turtle and tortoise farm, seizing over 1,100 of the animals, including several highly endangered species.

Officers arrested two German men suspected of operating the farm on the holiday island of Mallorca, as well as a Spanish owner of an exotic pet store in Barcelona who sold the animals raised on the farm, police said in a statement.

Another two Germans and a Spaniards are under investigation.

"Officers searched the farm and found that it was much bigger than expected and its aim was to breed at an industrial level different species of sea and land turtles," the police statement said.

A "land turtle" is more commonly called a tortoise in English.

The farm near the town of Llucmajor in the south of the Mediterranean island was the "biggest illegal turtle farm in Europe," it added.

Police seized over 1,100 turtles and tortoises of 62 different species, including 14 of the world's most endangered kinds such as the radiated tortoise from Madagascar, the Vietnamese pond turtle and the Chinese red-knecked turtle, as well as over 750 eggs, as part of their operation.

Almost all turtle species are endangered. Their eggs are considered a delicacy and they are also slaughtered for their meat, skin and shells.

The three suspects face charges of trafficking in endangered species and money laundering.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Austria allows shooting wolves with rubber bullets
Vienna (AFP) Aug 22, 2018
Austria has authorised shooting wolves with rubber bullets to deter attacks on livestock, a regional authority said Wednesday. The wolf population is rising rapidly in many European countries, which has led to an increase in the number of attacks on farm animals. Farmers in three districts of Lower Austria will have the right until the end of the year to shoot wolves with rubber bullets to deter attacks but not to kill them, deputy governor Stephan Pernkopf said. He also called for the Europ ... read more