When sharp-eyed staff at a German airport noticed a man who “carried something in his pants that did not belong there” they decided to carry out a search.
Spotting an apparent writhing motion, security staff at Berlin Schönefeld Airport suspected that the trousers of a 43-year-old male passenger might conceal a surprise.
Security staff called in federal police and customs, who escorted the man into a separate area, where they demanded that the man “reveal the relevant content”, according to a statement by the Main Customs Office at Potsdam, near Berlin.
From the waistband of his trousers, the man pulled out a cloth bag containing a living boa constrictor snake, a protected species.
Since the traveller, who was about to board a flight to Israel, could not provide any documents relating to owning or transporting the snake, the 40 cm long serpent was seized by Customs officials from Potsdam.
The snake, placed on a measurement grid
The snake was taken to the reptile rescue station in Brandenburg/Havel and the man has been charged with trafficking a boa, a species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Snake in a bag. How the reptile was carried
The import and export of snakes to and from the European Union is regulated and requires prior written approval by a species protection authority of an EU member state.
Written by Peter Needham
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