Madagascar officials discover 10,000 stolen tortoises crawling in home after reports of ‘rancid’ stench

AFTER complaints of a “rancid” stench, officials were stunned when they found a house with more than 10,000 endangered tortoises crawling in every room.

More than 10,000 endangered tortoises were found in a Madagascar house. Picture: Turtle Survival Alliance

THE smell was overwhelming as Madagascar police and wildlife officials pulled up to a two-storey home in Toliara earlier this month. But the inside of the house was even worse — it was there they found thousands of endangered tortoises crawling in every room of the house.

“You cannot imagine. It was so awful,” Soary Randrianjafizanaka, regional head of Madagascar’s environmental agency, told National Geographic or the “rancid” stench.

“They had tortoises in the bathroom, in the kitchen, everywhere in the house.”

Officials counted a total of 10,068 poached radiated tortoises, a critically endangered tortoise that can grow up to 40cm long and weigh up to 16kg as an adult, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The rare creatures are only found in the extreme southern and southwestern areas of Madagascar.

The house was full of the endangered tortoises. Picture: Turtle Survival Alliance

They were in every room. Picture: Turtle Survival Alliance

Wildlife experts believe the reptiles were intended to be part of a pet trade. Zoo Knoxville in Tennessee, which is helping with the rescue, said in a Facebook post that the tortoises were possibly being prepared to be shipped to Asia, “where the tortoises’ domed shell with a striking star pattern make them highly sought-after”.

So far, three people have been arrested in connection with the smuggling, Madagascar’s environmental agency confirmed in a Facebook post on April 12. They did not reveal their identities.

“[They’re being] interviewed to identify their accomplices,” the group added.

The smell was overpowering. Picture: Turtle Survival Alliance

It is believed the reptiles were set to be sold illegally. Picture: Turtle Survival Alliance

Ms Randrianjafizanaka believes this was a group effort and hopes an investigation into the recent incident will lead officials to “the big boss”.

“[Tortoises are] being harvested at what I’d call an alarming, catastrophic rate,” president of the Turtle Survival Alliance Rick Hudson told National Geographic.

“Within the next 20 years, as many as one-third of the world’s 300 species of tortoises and freshwater turtles may be gone due to poaching for the international black market,” the organisation explains on its website. “At least 10 species are now extinct in the wild and exist only in captive breeding programs.”

Three arrests have been made after authorities discovered the ugly scene.

At least 180 tortoises were found dead at the scene, and at least 308 more have died of dehydration, malnutrition and illness since they were transported to local rescue centres, according to local government employee Dreef Atsimoandrefana. The reptiles will be kept in quarantine and captivity until they’re deemed healthy.

“This is an overwhelming situation the Turtle Survival Alliance is dealing with. Zoo Knoxville is committed to taking action against the illegal wildlife trade that is putting so many species on the verge of extinction. We will be actively involved in supporting the TSA for the duration of this crisis,” Knoxville Zoo president and CEO Lisa New said in a statement online.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission.