Rare Hermann’s tortoises stolen

Ajaccio : A turtle conservation park on the French island of Corsica is asking the public for help after 56 rare Hermann’s tortoises, considered a nearly threatened species, were stolen from the site. The A Cupulatta park in Vero, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Ajaccio, issued its appeal on Facebook on Monday after discovering the missing adult tortoises, recognisable by their distinctive black-and-yellow shells.

“These tortoises cannot be legally sold so can only be destined for trafficking,” the park wrote. “They could contaminate wild populations with fatal germs, since they’ve been kept in captivity for a long time and have been exposed to animals and people which wild turtles aren’t used to seeing,” the park said. “Share this message: the turtles may still be in Corsica,” it added.