--- description: An unidentified Filipino passenger left four bags of the reptiles unclaimed in the arrival area after landing on a flight from Hong Kong title: 1,500 Turtles Found in Abandoned Luggage at Manila Airport image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b3f91120340e283/69894639096a94efb86a4b13/gettyimages-959627874.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Philippines](/tag/philippines/) ## Philippines Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Authorities Found 1,500 Turtles Inside Abandoned Luggage at an Airport in the Philippines by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Mar 5, 2019 8:33 AM CUT  One of the five newborn African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys Sulcata) sits atop a male turtle, at a zoo, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 17, 2018. One of the five newborn African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys Sulcata) sits atop a male turtle, at a zoo, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 17, 2018.ULISES RUIZ—AFP/Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Mar 5, 2019 8:33 AM CUT Customs officials seized [1,529 live turtles](http://customs.gov.ph/customs-naia-intensifies-efforts-against-illegal-wildlife-smuggling/ "undefined") in Manila’s main airport on Sunday. An unidentified Filipino passenger left four bags carrying the reptiles unclaimed in the arrival area, the Philippines Bureau of Customs said in a statement on their website. He had traveled to Pinoy Aquino International Airport on a Philippine Airlines flight from Hong Kong. The bags contained several varieties of exotic turtles, including red-eared slider turtles and star, redfoot and Sulcata tortoises. The turtles were turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit. A video on the Bureau of Custom’s Twitter account shows the animals bound by duct tape and packed into a suitcase among shoes and other personal items. > [](https://twitter.com/CustomsPH/status/1102482225717604352) Philippines customs says they also confiscated [63 iguanas, chameleons and bearded dragons](https://twitter.com/CustomsPH/status/1100703478274387968 "undefined") late last month. Authorities intercepted a total of 560 “wildlife and endangered species” including 250 geckos, 254 corals and other reptiles that smugglers tried to bring into the country in 2018, according to the statement. Wildlife smuggling is illegal in the Philippines and punishable with up to 2 years in prison and fines between about $380 and $3,800 (P20,000.00 to P200,000.00). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5543654/manila-philippines-turtles-smuggling/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5543654/manila-philippines-turtles-smuggling/"},"headline":"Authorities Found 1,500 Turtles Inside Abandoned Luggage at an Airport in the Philippines","datePublished":"2019-03-05T08:33:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:56:24.225Z","description":"They were duct-taped and stuffed inside luggage alongside clothes and shoes","url":"https://time.com/5543654/manila-philippines-turtles-smuggling/","keywords":["Philippines","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b3f91120340e283/69894639096a94efb86a4b13/gettyimages-959627874.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b3f91120340e283/69894639096a94efb86a4b13/gettyimages-959627874.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MEXICO-ZOO-TURTLES","caption":"MEXICO-ZOO-TURTLES","creditText":"ULISES RUIZ—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/philippines/","name":"Philippines"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5543654/manila-philippines-turtles-smuggling/","name":"Authorities Found 1,500 Turtles Inside Abandoned Luggage at an Airport in the Philippines"}}]}] ```