By Ayman Muftah.
Benghazi, 28 April 2017:
As many as 1,870 Kleinmann’s tortoises were seized in the Sidi Khalifa area of Benghazi by anti-smuggling forces today. It is claimed that the smugglers intended to sell them in Egypt where they can fetch a small fortune.
Also known as the Egyptian Tortoise, the breed, largely wiped out in Egypt and now considered “critically endangered”, is still to be found in parts of Cyrenaica. It is popular as household pets.
The tortoises were found by the illegal-immigration police.