8 Weirdest Animal Smuggling Stories You’ve Ever Heard

Although there are no certain figures, the shadowy business of animal smuggling is expected to be worth up to $20 billion annually.

In a single year in 2009, law enforcement recovered nearly 20,000 living animals worth around $35 million in South-East Asia exclusively. The animals recovered by organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) or Freeland, and transported to a safe place or returned to where they were captured.

Although unfortunately, many animal smugglers get away with criminal activity without being caught. Despite this, there are thousands of cases each year of smugglers caught in the act.

The extraordinary lengths people go to smuggle animals over borders has resulted in a handful of hilarious and strange cases. Let’s check out some of the weirdest animal smuggling stories.

1. Pythons and Geckos in Norway

In October 2009, a Norwegian guy in his twenties was arrested by customs officials when he arrived by boat from Denmark.

The customs officials became suspicious when a tarantula climbed out of his backpack. However, one official remarked, “his whole body was in constant motion”. So, we can safely say it wasn’t a difficult case to crack.

They then discovered 14 pythons, a snake that can reach up to 23 feet in length, strapped to his body in stockings.

Around his legs were 10 cans. Each can was containing geckos inside.

2. Parrot Eggs in the UK

As the second-busiest airport in the World and first in Europe, the UK Border Agency at London Heathrow Airport has seen everything before. At least, that’s what they thought.

In September 2010, one passenger was stopped by customs officials because he was smuggling up 40 parrot eggs. The smuggler had even designed his own vest to hide the parrots.

Among the eggs was the endangered and rare Blue-Headed Macaw. Fortunately, the eggs were seized by officials and transferred to zoos around the UK.

3. The Spider Smuggler in Brazil

Brazil is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. While nobody attempts to smuggle animals into the country, efforts to remove wildlife out of the country is sadly common.

In 2009, a British male was arrested by officials in Rio de Janeiro and his briefcases were seized.

Why?

He was attempting to smuggle a number of deadly spiders. Many of which were venomous or bird-eating spiders. Yes, those are spiders that eat birds!

The man was the owner of a pet shop back in the UK. He claimed to have purchased the spiders for $5 each and hoped to sell the spiders for up to $50 each.

4. Snakes in a Bra

We have already had the movie “Snakes on a Plane“. If you think the name of this movie is ridiculous, let’s hope the story of the Snakes in a Bra does not make it to Holywood.

In 2005, customs officials decided to act when they noticed something strange. They saw a Sweedish women behaving suspiciously at Stockholm Airport.

They made the correct choice. The woman had managed to stuff 65 baby snakes in her bra. She reportedly intended to use the snakes to set up a reptile farm in Sweden.

5. Chihuahua in Ireland

The regulations about what you’re allowed to bring in your hand luggage is always changing. Howeve it’s safe to say we’re pretty sure that transporting a small chihuahua has never been permitted.

The X-ray scanner in the airport in Dublin showed the shape of the dog in the cage in the luggage. Customs officials assumed the outline of the dog was merely a stuffed toy.

Instead, they opened up the hand luggage to discover the dog well and truly alive. However, the pet had no health certificate or permit.

If you’re transporting your pet dog, make sure you follow the regulations and rules. And find more here to make sure you purchase the correct size dog crate.

6. Noah’s Ark for Modern Times

The Bible story of Noah’s Ark said the animals came two-by-two.

It appears that a man arrested in Bangkok, Thailand was attempting to repeat the story for modern times. However, this time, it is assumed the man was intent on selling the animals for a profit. Noah was a nicer fella.

The man wanted to smuggle a number of animals native to Thailand to his native Dubai. These included the following: 2 baby leopards, 2 baby panthers, and 2 baby macaque monkeys. There was also a single black bear.

Sadly, the animals had reportedly been drugged by the man while he transported them over the border. However, thankfully, the authorities caught the smuggler and arrested him.

7. Caught Money Handed in the USA

In November 2007, a mother and daughter successfully transported a baby macaque monkey from Thailand to the United States. The money was drugged and hidden under the daughter’s clothes to appear pregnant.

Even though the mother-daughter duo managed to outsmart the border authorities, they were subsequently caught. The daughter was reported in a shopping mall in Washington State showing off her baby monkey.

The monkey was recovered and transferred to a monkey rescue facility nearby. The two women were sentenced to 60 days in prison each and 3 years probation.

8. How Many Animals Can Fit in One-Vehicle?

In September 2009, Italian traffic police stopped a vehicle in Bari, Italy. Although the police officers were only carrying out a routine check, they were shocked by what they discovered in the hatchback car.

In the truck, there were over 1700 animals. These included 216 budgies, 150 hamsters, 30 Japanese squirrels, 300 white mice, 6 chameleons, and over one thousand terapins.

The driver had planned to sell the animals. However, the recovered creatures were distributed among a number of zoos and animal sanctuaries around the country.

Animal Smuggling: Laugh or Cry?

Now you know some of weirdest animal smuggling stories of all time. It’s sometimes difficult to know whether to laugh at the stupidity of humans or cry at the cruelty inflicted on the cutest animals.

Do you want to discover more weird and wonderful stuff? Check out our list of 10 weird gifts for animal lovers!

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