Hidden in plain sight: customs find 16 live snakes inside traveler’s suitcases
In the latest wildlife smuggling attempt to be prevented at Mumbai Airport customs, a passenger arriving from Thailand was found to be carrying a large cargo of snakes.
Customs officials in India say they have intercepted an airplane passenger attempting to smuggle a large number of live snakes into the South Asian country.
In a post on social media, Mumbai International Airport’s customs department revealed that it had stopped a passenger arriving from Thailand, who had been carrying as many as 16 snakes in their luggage.
“Yet another wild life smuggling attempt”
“Customs officers at CSMI Airport, Mumbai Customs Zone-III foiled yet another wild life smuggling attempt […],” the June 29 social-media post said. “Passenger arrested. Further investigation underway.”
A report in the Hindustani Times identified the individual detained as a 34-year-old man from the southern Indian city Chennai. He had arrived in Mumbai on a flight from the Thai capital, Bangkok, the report said.
The intercepted cargo included snakes belonging to the garter, rhino rat, albino rat, Kenyan sand boa and California king species.
The snakes involved, which are reported by AFP to be regularly sold in the pet trade, are either non-venomous or carry venom too weak to be dangerous to humans, the news agency said.
AFP added that this was the third time in June that Mumbai customs agents had prevented wildlife smugglers from bringing major animal shipments into India.
“Very troubling”
Earlier in the month, officials intercepted another traveler from Thailand as they tried to sneak venomous vipers into the country. Soon afterwards, a passenger unsuccessfully attempted to bring in more than 100 animals, including lizards and possums.
Citing figures collected by the wildlife trade monitor Traffic, AFP also noted that over 7,000 animals (dead or alive) have been seized from travelers flying from Thailand to India in the past three and a half years.
Traffic’s Southeast Asia director, Kanitha Krishnasamy, is quoted by CBS as saying: “The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling.”
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