Customs also foil attempt to bring in 100,000 dried seahorses. All these animals are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Nanning (AsiaNews/Agencies) – At least 800 Siamese crocodiles and more than 2,700 crab-eating macaques have been rescued by customs officials in Guangxi following a series of targeted raids against smugglers.
Police took into custody 35 people, including 14 Vietnamese, and recovered 100,000 dried seahorses.
Siamese crocodiles and seahorses are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, whilst crab-eating macaques have grade II in China.
The crocodiles were discovered during a raid last month, packed into 158 wooden boxes, their mouths bound with duct tape.
The crocodiles and macaques came from Vietnam, bound for a company in Wuzhou that planned to sell them for use in vivisection laboratories.
The dried seahorses, which are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, were seized in separate raids in Guangxi and neighbouring Guangdong province.