Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs issued a statement on its WeChat official account on Saturday that its officers seized 85 geckos at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) checkpoint on July 1.
According to the statement, on that day, customs officers at the mega bridge’s Zhuhai checkpoint noticed an anomaly during a routine X-ray inspection of a Hong Kong-Guangdong dual plate vehicle.
Upon further inspection, customs officers discovered three backpacks in the boot of the vehicle, inside of which were multiple transparent plastic boxes wrapped in plastic film, the statement said, adding that each box contained a live animal and was labelled with its hatching date, totalling 85.
On July 9, the statement said, the batch of live reptiles was identified by the Technical Centre of Gongbei Customs as crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus), adding that this species has no natural distribution in China and is classified as an alien species.
Gongbei Customs reminded the public that under the Chinese mainland’s Biosecurity Law and other relevant laws and regulations, the unauthorised introduction of alien species is prohibited. The unauthorised carrying or sending of live animals and plants into the Chinese mainland is also forbidden. Those who violate these regulations will be held legally accountable by the authorities in accordance with the law.
This undated handout photo provided by Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs on Saturday shows one of its officers holding a crested gecko.
