Man caught with 300 tortoises and 77 parrots bound for Malta at Sicilian port

The Guardian reports: Italian police say Maltese citizen under investigation for smuggling after animals found packed in car A Maltese man is facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly attempting to transport 300 tortoises and 77 parrots from Sicily to Malta.

The animals were found packed into a car near the boarding area for a Malta-bound catamaran during an inspection at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, the local unit of Italy’s financial police squad said on Monday.

This environment story centres on Italy. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include Malta, Sicilian and Maltese.

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Developments affecting the environment are closely tied to public health, economies and how communities prepare for change.

Key details

Location

Italy · Europe

Reported by

The Guardian

First reported

5 Oct 2026, 19:22 IST

Key names

Malta, Sicilian, Maltese, Italian

Section

Environment

Sources

This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publisher:

• The GuardianMan caught with 300 tortoises and 77 parrots bound for Malta at Sicilian port 5 Oct, 19:22

Read the full story at The Guardian ↗

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