The Libyan Wildlife Trust has warned that the Libyan tortoise species are on their way to extinction, due to the ongoing smuggling of these creatures outside the country.

The Libyan Wildlife explained in a statement on Facebook that tortoises are being smuggled to Egypt to be sold to tourists, as well as local people, who most of them live in apartments, which is not a suitable place to raise such creature, as they hardly see the sun.

"We see a lot of posts from Egyptians complaining of having diseased tortoises or of their pet tortoise dying shortly after bringing them home," the statement read, explaining that the tortoises suffer from overcrowding and inappropriate conditions during their long and "terrible" journey.

It pointed out that to make a suitable home for a turtle you need to install UVB solar bulbs, which are very expensive and most people can't afford them, according to the statement.

"There are societies in Libya that work day and night to protect wildlife and under very difficult circumstances," The Libyan Wildlife Trust noted, urging Egyptians to boycott smugglers and traders of wildlife, and not to get involved in the extinction of Libyan tortoises.

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