Ecuadorian authorities arrest three Thai nationals suspected of trafficking rare marine iguanas from the Galápagos. Ecuador’s energy and environment ministry and the national police say the arrests occur at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil. Officials seize 12 marine iguanas, a species endemic to Ecuador’s Galápagos archipelago, located about 1,000 kilometers off the Pacific coast.
According to the ministry’s statement, one iguana is found dead during an inspection on Tuesday. The remaining animals show signs of harm, including “physical ailments,” attributed to the way they are transported. Reports describe the iguanas being carried in handbags with their legs tightly bound.
The authorities frame the case as suspected illegal wildlife trafficking and do not indicate the destination of the shipment. The arrests are linked to an inspection of the luggage at the airport, after which the seized reptiles are taken into custody for further processing in line with wildlife protection rules.
