A rescue team made up of Wildlife Alliance staff, military police, and forestry administration officers confiscated nearly half a ton of live pythons and turtles from a pickup truck in Battambang town recently.

The haul included 13 Burmese Pythons, 11 Reticulated Pythons, as well as more than 250 turtles – including 12 endangered Yellow Headed Temple Turtles, which are depicted on the walls of Angkorian temples.

It appears the truck was from Thailand and was crossing Cambodia on its way to Vietnam, a Cambodian Army Lieutenant is being questioned in connection with the smuggling.

The animals were later released into their natural habitats in the Tonle Sap lake and the Cardamom mountains.

Edited from The Cambodia Daily (1-5-08)