The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canadian and foreign species of wild animals and plants that may be at risk of overexploitation due to unsustainable or illegal trade.
On April 19, 2024, Zhongmin Zheng was sentenced to pay a total of $35,000 after pleading guilty in the Alberta Court of Justice to two charges under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). In addition to the fine, Zheng was issued a prohibition order which prohibits the possession of any live animal for a period of two years. This includes wild animals, livestock, and pets.
On May 24, 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers, working with Canada Border Services Agency officers, intercepted and inspected a package that Zheng had imported from China. Although the package contents had been declared as "childrens building blocks", it contained live turtles and turtle eggs.
On May 27, 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers worked with Alberta Fish and Wildlife Officers and the Calgary Police Service to execute a search warrant that resulted in the seizure of 121 specimens, including 63 turtles and 58 turtle eggs. DNA analysis, conducted at an Environment and Climate Change Canada laboratory, determined that 76 of the turtles and turtle eggs were species listed under either Appendix II or III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
All live turtles were forfeited and have been moved to professional care facilities in Ontario and Alberta.
The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund.
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