How does a traveler hide a three-foot-long, LIVE alligator in a suitcase?
Custom agents in Germany were shocked last month when they found an albino alligator inside the luggage of an American businessman.
The customs office in the Munich airport described the alligator as three-feet long!
The alligator was discovered when the suitcase went through the X-ray scanner at security on September 25. Immediately, customs officers and a vet were called, and the alligator was taken into custody, and transferred to a reptile sanctuary.
Although the alligator was said to be in good health, its life was threatened during the time in the luggage. The traveler had wrapped it in Saran Wrap, or similar brand, and had cut a hole so the reptile could breathe, according to Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
In a statement on October 13, Munich’s main customs office said that German officials are charging the 42-year-old businessman with violating laws that protect animals.
Although the alligator was confiscated, the man was allowed to fly to Singapore, but his cell phone was confiscated in Munich.
Munich authorities did not say whether the traveler was smuggling, although smuggling of rare species is well-known in Asia.
It is said that rare albino alligators are being sold for up to $75,000 in Asia. A black market sale can fetch over $1 million. China and Malaysia are infamous for the transport of live reptiles.
Media has confirmed that the customs office in Munich issued a statement that proceedings have been initiated against the American businessman for the transport of the live reptile.
According to Dr. Adrian Loo, director of wildlife management at the National Parks Board in Singapore, “Many of the species that were being offered for sale are exotic wildlife species that are not allowed to be sold or offered for sale, or kept as pets in Singapore, including several species that are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).”