Galápagos island's airport officials discovered 185 baby turtles in a suitcase en route to mainland Ecuador. A statement from Aeropuerto Ecológico Galápagos located on Isla Baltra - one of the 21 islands in the famous Pacific archipelago - said the turtles were found during a regular inspection by customs officials on Sunday morning.
The cargo was illegally shipped by smugglers to the port city of Guayaquil, which is 700 miles to the east. The turtle was spotted by operators on an X-ray machine at the airport, who noticed "irregularities" in the suitcase, which allegedly contained "souvenirs."
The Three Months Old Tortoises
Officials said the tortoises were not more than three months old, and it was difficult to determine where they came from. The photos show the turtles wrapped in plastic. The smugglers likely did this to immobilize the animals so that authorities would not see them.
While most baby tortoises survived their trial, airport officials said 10 of the animals died, according to BBC. So far, authorities have made no arrests regarding the incident, but members of the transportation company who checked the suitcase are being held for questioning.
To preserve the turtles 'lives, officers took them to a special place inside the airport facilities.
Marcelo Mata, the environment minister of Ecuador, in response to the incident on Twitter, said he categorically rejected these crimes against wildlife and the natural heritage of Ecuadorians.
Also Read: Human and Turtle Skin: Similar Proteins Evolved From Common Ancestor To Toughen Skin
Investigation of the Incident
Mata said authorities are investigating the incident, and the turtles were not taken from Galápagos National Park breeding centers but from the wild. He said vets were examining the surviving turtles to know their species as part of the investigation process.
The Galápagos Islands are home to nearly a dozen species of turtles, including the archipelago's famous giant turtles. Illegal animal trafficking is one of the biggest threats to turtles that live on the islands. Young-sized juveniles could fetch more than $ 5,000 in the global exotic pet market, the BBC reported.
Illegal animal trafficking to the islands can be punished with between one and three years in prison. The archipelago is a protected area known for its wealth of unique species of flora and fauna. The island's endemic species were studied by the famous Charles Darwin, with his findings contributing to the creation of his theory of evolution.
Charles Darwin Theory Of Evolution
Darwin's evolutionary theory is that new species appear naturally, through an evolutionary process, rather than created - forever unchangeable - by God. According to the solid creationist theory of Darwin's time, the fine adaptations of many species - such as bivalve shell hinges and wings and volumes in wind -scattered seeds - are compelling proof designed by each species for its intended place in the economy of nature.
Darwin wholeheartedly accepted this theory, confirmed by the biblical account in Genesis, until his experiences on the Galápagos Islands began to weaken in this way of thinking about the biological world.
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