A man was caught trying to sneak over 100 live snakes into mainland China by hiding them in his pants, according to Chinese customs officials.
Customs officers in Shenzhen, a city in southern China, stopped the man at the Futian Port checkpoint, which connects Hong Kong to mainland China, the agency said on Tuesday.
During their inspection, the officers found six canvas bags taped shut in the pockets of his pants. When they opened the bags, they discovered a total of 104 snakes of various shapes and colors.
The snakes were of five different species: milk snake, western hognose snake, corn snake, Texas rat snake, and bullsnake.
Four of these species are not native to China, but none of them are venomous. The customs agency didn’t specify if the man was arrested but warned that anyone breaking the law would face legal consequences.
In a similar incident in June, another man was arrested for trying to smuggle 454 endangered turtles from Macau to mainland China.
CNN reported that this incident highlights the ongoing issue of wildlife smuggling in the region.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/10/travel/snake-smuggler-trousers-scli-intl/index.html