The mainland passenger and the tortoises that he tried to take into Shenzhen on Feb 21. Provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Customs officers found a male Chinese mainland resident trying to take more than 80 live tortoises totaling 34 kilograms to enter the southern city of Shenzhen from Hong Kong at around 9 pm on Sunday evening, the city's customs authority said.

The man entered the arrival hall of Huanggang Port in Futian district of Shenzhen with three large bags full of tortoises, which are in sizes ranging from 30 centimeters to 10 centimeters.

He said he took the animals with an aim of releasing them into the sea. But officers suspected that the man might sell these tortoises as pets on the mainland.

The government quarantine workers are investigating further into the case.