Man jailed for smuggling 'ecological killer' turtles

A man was sentenced to nine months in prison on Thursday in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, for the illegal introduction of an invasive species, becoming the first publicly sentenced case of the crime in the country, according to the local intermediate people's court.

The man, surnamed Yi, was also fined 100,000 yuan ($14,163) for illegally introducing 1,760 red-eared slider turtles, also known as Brazilian turtles, which are recognized worldwide as "ecological killers", the Intermediate People's Court said.

They are included in China's list of key management of exotic invasive species and are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species.