685 Tortoises Reintroduced to Nature in Bulgaria

Sofia, July 16 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Environment and Water
Ministry and the Hungarian Agriculture's Ministry Biodiversity
Directorate have jointly reintroduced 685 eastern Hermann's
tortoises /Testudo hermannii boettgeri/ to the wild in Bulgaria,
 said the Environment Ministry in a press release.

The reptiles were confiscated in the fall of 2014 by the
Hungarian authorities on the border with Serbia in an attempt to
 illegally import them. The culprit managed to evade justice and
 hide in Serbia.

This species of tortoise is protected and its trade and keeping
is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

DNA tests revealed that the seized tortoises originated from the
 Balkan Peninsula. They were reintroduced in favourable habitats
 in the presence of Bulgarian and Hungarian experts.