Border police in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have found 940 baby Siamese crocodiles, a protected species.

Border police in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have found 940 baby Siamese crocodiles, a protected species.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

The crocodiles were discovered in two boxes on a pier in Dongxing Township, Fangchenggang, on the China-Vietnam border, after police patrolling the area early Sunday morning heard animal sounds, according to Fangchenggang border police.

The police visited nearby residents but nobody claimed the crocodiles, which were about 15 days old, police said.

The reptiles would likely have been used for breeding or kept as pets, after being sold to other regions of the country.

Fangchenggang has reported several cases concerning Siamese crocodiles. In July, nearly 400 baby Siamese crocodiles were seized in a rented house, six months after 70 frozen Siamese crocodiles were found in a seafood truck in the city.

Siamese crocodiles are a critically endangered species native to Southeast Asia. Their skin is used as raw material for luxury leather products on the international market. It is illegal to raise them in China without a license or to trade and traffic the species.

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