Posted on 09/26/2014 6:57:14 PM PDT by smoothsailing
September 26, 2014
Using information gained from an anonymous tip, U.S. authorities detained a man this summer after noticing ‘irregularly shaped bulges’ in his sweatpants. But this wasn’t the Underwear Bomber 2.0. Instead, a Canadian man had taped 51 live turtles to his legs and groin and was attempting to smuggle them across the border, The Guardian reported.
Kai Xu and his accomplice Lihua Lin were nabbed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents near the Detroit border crossing, where the two were attempting to cross into Windsor, Canada. Agents were tipped off by a Detroit UPS employee named “Dave” who contacted the fish and wildlife service and told them to be on the lookout for a seven-pound box labelled, “Live fish keep cool.”
In a dramatic turn of events not often seen in the world of wildlife management, agents put Xu under surveillance on Aug. 5 and observed him hiding behind two semi-truck trailers for around 10 minutes before reappearing with “irregularly shaped bulges under Xu’s sweatpants on both legs,” according to The Guardian.
While Xu was attempting to cross into Canada, Lin was caught at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where he was trying to board a plane for Shanghai with two checked bags crammed with more than 200 turtles.
U.S. officials told the Guardian that turtle smuggling has increased over the past year due to increased demand in Asian food markets and from collectors.
“These turtles, by the time they get to the end-collector, they can be worth anywhere from $1,300 to $1,500 a turtle,” said Ed Grace, a deputy chief law enforcement officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Check yer mail.
;D
What guy hasn’t had a turtle in their pants. Isn’t that shrinkage?
We had a sporting goods store that was selling used golfballs. It was 20 bucks for all the golfballs you could carry out of the store on your person. No bags. I stuffed my pockets and pants and anything that would hold them. I was walking funny as I was leaving the store. A woman asked me if I was OK. I said “it’s golfballs” She then asked me “is that anything like tennis elbow?
TRUE STORY/sarc
That is a great photo.
So far as I can tell, Eastern / Western Box Turtles’ own habits and wide dispersal, around here, probably protect them from any “harvest” more than the regulations in effect. Their main source of danger from humans is getting squashed on roadways.
In addition, Box Turtles are rarely a nuisance or dangerous (except to my brother’s nose, as noted earlier!), which is more than can be said about snappers, and sometimes (nuisance to anglers) other water turtles.
That is a small one around here.
LOLS love the graphic! Can I be on the ping list too please? I love reptiles and amphibs....was always catching and playing with them when I was little. :-D
I had an uncle who lived alone out in the country by Glennie who always seemed to have a humungous snapper in a 50 gallon drum whenever my dad took me to see him........
Besides being a notorious drunk, he was a deer shiner too but back in those days, most of the folks around there were.......
“I’ve had it with these &%$# turtles in my &%$# pants!”
DANG!
Something you would not want stuffed in your pants...at any age or size...
I guess people really must have believed that I didn’t know the difference in turtle species...
I was kinda kiddin’ like I do on most occasions...Oh well...;-)
People are slipping’ around here...:)
Having actually had a squirrel in my pants, I'd guess better...
Again I am amazed by the breadth of the Freeper knowledge base.
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