Snakes on a plane: Man smuggled 44 reptiles
A man has been arrested after trying to smuggle 44 reptiles - including endangered snakes and lizards - onto a plane in Australia.
The 24-year-old had been trying to sneak the animals onto a flight to Bangkok where it is thought they would have sold for up to £90,000 on the black market.
He had even boarded the flight, but customs officers spotted the snakes during an x-ray screening of his baggage, and hauled him off the plane.
On closer inspection - by which we mean at arms length and with protective gloves - they found 24 Shingleback Lizards, 16 Bluetongue Lizards, three Black Headed Pythons and one Albino Carpet Python amongst the man's socks.
The Albino Carpet Python, like the one Britney Spears had draped over her during a performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, is an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100, and worth approximately £9,000.
The reptiles have been transferred to Sydney Wildlife World where they have undergone health checks and are being cared for.
A spokesperson for Australian Customs and Border Protection said: "Customs and Border Protection continues to prevent, investigate and prosecute wildlife smuggling attempts into and out of Australia in a bid to end this cruel practice."
The man from Sydney - who was charged with attempting to export native species without a permit - will appear at Downing Centre Local Court in March where he faces up to 10 years in prison.
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