A real Noah's Ark.
A Mongolian national was arrested this Saturday, February 17 at Bangkok International Airport (Thailand) as he was preparing to take a flight with snakes, Komodo dragons and turtles in his suitcases, this said. Thai customs officers on Monday.
The kingdom is a notorious hub for wildlife trafficking, usually destined for major markets like Vietnam or China, where they are used in traditional medicine.
Six turtles, eight iguanas and 24 fish
As the man prepared to embark for Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, customs officers carried out, as is usual, checks of the contents of the luggage accompanying him and which was to travel in hold.
Inside, they found no fewer than two Komodo dragons, six Indian star tortoises, eight iguanas, five pythons, a boa constrictor and 24 exotic fish.
These exotic animals are all protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Six Indian star tortoises were found in the luggage of a tourist from Mongolia.
Handout / Thailand's Customs Department / AFP
Authorities charged the man with smuggling protected animals and attempting to export untaxed goods, the customs department said.
However, this is not the first time that an event of this type has occurred in Thailand.
In October, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport suspended an airport employee after a traveler smuggled more than 30 live animals onto a flight to Taiwan.
The mobile menagerie included two baby otters, 28 baby turtles and a marmot.