The Brazilian red-eared turtle is listed as one of the 100 most invasive species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Photo: Official WeChat account of China's General Administration of Customs

The procuratorate in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province has filed an indictment against a man on suspicion of illegally bringing 2,015 Brazilian red-eared turtles into China. It is the first public prosecution case regarding illegal introduction of an invasive alien species, China's General Administration of Customs said on Saturday. 

When customs officers inspected a car owned by a man surnamed Yi in 2022, they found more than 2,000 live turtles inside it. The man claimed that he was bringing the turtles into China for breeding, but he couldn't show a valid quarantine certificate.  
 
Brazilian red-eared turtles are listed as one of the 100 most invasive species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The prosecutor undertaking the case said that although some of the red-eared turtles had died before the appraisal was made, the number still reached 1,760, which is huge and poses a high risk of proliferation.  

The estimated value of the turtles was 88,000 yuan ($12,157), far exceeding the standard 20,000-yuan threshold for crimes involving precious animals and plants. Considering the number of turtles and their value, and after consulting senior authorities, the Zhuhai local procuratorate decided the case could be categorized under "serious circumstances."  

China has developed a digital information technological system to monitor invasive species, and more than 600 invasive species have been identified and recorded. 

China has added the new crime of "illegally introducing, releasing or discarding exotic species" into the criminal law which came into effect in 2021, and customs officers in many cities in recent years have intercepted harmful organisms that were being secretly transported into China.  

The arrival of an alien species in a new environment could lead to serious damage to the local ecological environment, as well as damaging biodiversity. 

Invasive alien species can also affect people's health. Bites from red imported fire ants on a person's hand or other parts of the body can lead to ulcers and even death due to allergies, according to China Central Television.  

Global Times