More than 1,000 baby turtles stolen from Chinese pet lover’s home
Thieves broke into the owner’s home while he was sleeping and took animals worth 1.2 million yuan
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 24 February, 2015, 12:30pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 24 February, 2015, 12:30pm
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Surveillance camera footage of the turtles before the burglary. Photo: Sinanews
Police are investigating after thieves broke into a house in southern China and stole more than 1,000 baby turtles.
The burglars first broke into a neighbour’s home in Dongguan in Guangdong province before forcing their way into the room where the animals were kept, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
The pets were worth 1.2 million yuan (HK$1.5 million) and the owner was asleep during the burglary, the report said.
Surveillance footage showed the thieves stuffing the animals into large plastic bags. They forgot one bag with about 200 turtles inside.
The owner told the police he bought 1,800 baby turtles in September, which had grown to about 100 to 200 grams each.
Turtles are believed to be a symbol of long life and good fortune in China and are popular pets.
A baby water turtle usually sells for about 1,100 yuan, the report said.
