Chhay Sokha, a senior policeman in Kampong Cham province, told AFP that 35 turtles, nine pythons and eight large lizards -- all endangered -- were confiscated near the Vietnamese border Sunday from experienced smugglers.

He said the offenders, who were travelling by car, fled when approached by police at the border. They were not arrested.

The illegal wildlife trade is a growing problem in Cambodia, where some of Southeast Asia's most untouched forests remain because decades of conflict made much of them largely inaccessible until formal peace in 1998.

Vietnam has a poor conservation record. Endangered species favoured for their status value regularly appear on dining tables.