Turtles seized from passengers at Chennai airport

Customs officials seized over4,000 live 'red eared slider turtles' from two Indian passengers who arrived from Bangok at the airport here Thursday.

Air Intelligence Unit officials, who checked the two passengers, found them carrying 2,300 turtles each in their checked-in baggage, a Customs release here said.

Red Eared slider turtles are an invasive species and can cause negative impact on the ecosystem and is already banned by the European Union and other countries as well, according to the release.

The turtles were ordered for re-export to the country of origin (Thailand) and the two persons fined Rs one lakh each, it added.