THE Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark has discovered four alive bearded dragons inside a shipment declared as “tupperware” from Malaysia.

The shipment arrived on January 27, 2022 and was subjected to x-ray scanning, which revealed suspicious images that prompted the conduct of physical examination.

This led to the discovery of two female and two male live bearded dragons contained in plastic containers.

The animals were imported without the required Sanitary and Phytosanitary Certificate and Veterinary Health Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

This violates of Section 118 (g), 119 (f), 1113 (l, j) and 1400 of Republic Act (RA) 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

On January 27, 2022, the confiscated dragons were turned over to DENR for rehabilitation and care.

District Collector Alexandra Lumontad said the Port of Clark will remain consistent in protecting the borders against the importation of smuggled wildlife species to aid in the prevention of illegal wildlife trade in the country.