Animal smugglers are known to get creative when trying to sneak wildlife past airport security but customs officials in Vietnam were particularly shocked to uncover what one traveller was concealing in his slacks on Monday.
The man, believed to be a Vietnamese national, was busted at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City allegedly trying to smuggle 18 live birds — including 11 endangered species — to Taiwan by fastening them to his legs under his pants.
The endangered birds included white-rumped shama, oriental shama and melodious laughing thrush, Thanhnien News reported.
They man is now being investigated by officials and could face jail time.
The illegal trade of wildlife is a major international problem and is believed to be a $10 billion-a-year business.
According to the WWF “the world is dealing with an unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade.” The trade is believed to be a $10 billion-a-year business.
In one if the most bizarre cases of animal smuggling in 2010 a crocodile was smuggled on board a domestic flight in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was blamed for a plane crash that killed 20 of 21 passengers. According to the crash’s sole survivor the concealed reptile reportedly escaped from the duffle bag it was help in and causing a stampede in the cabin, throwing the aircraft off-balance. The animal survived the crash but was later killed with a machete.
