Five rare turtles confiscated from smugglers were re-homed, zoo curator Tim Skelton said ­yesterday.

The Malayan box turtles were bound for China where they would have been sold for their meat, as pets or for use in traditional medicine.

They were among 150 other turtles of various species seized by customs officials in Hong Kong. It is believed they were originally caught in the wild in south-east Asia.

They have now been transported to Bristol Zoo Gardens with the help of the Turtle Survival Alliance.

Mr Skelton, the zoo’s curator of reptiles and amphibians, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer a safe new home for these turtles, which were likely to have otherwise been sold and killed.

“Exact information about them, such as their age, is not known. They could be anywhere between 10 and 30 years old but we hope to breed them to help boost the captive population of this vulnerable species, as well as to highlight the plight of all south-east Asian turtle species.”

The turtles are currently in quarantine before they will be moved to the tropical pools in the zoo’s reptile house.

The turtles, classified as a threatened species, usually live on the edge of shallow swamps, streams or ponds.

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