Indian authorities have arrested a Canadian man at New Delhi’s airport after a crocodile skull was discovered in his luggage.
The 32-year-old, who has not been identified, was en route to Canada from the Indian capital when he was intercepted during a security check at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL).
“Upon examination, a skull with sharp teeth, resembling the jaw of a baby crocodile, weighing approximately 777 grams, was discovered wrapped in a cream-colored cloth,” Delhi Customs said in a X statement on Thursday.
It was stated that the skull belongs to a species protected under the country’s Wildlife Protection Act, and that the man had breached both this law and the Customs Act.
According to customs, the skull has been transferred to the Department of Forests and Wildlife for laboratory testing.
“This case highlights a serious violation of wildlife and customs laws. Collaboration between Customs and Forest Departments is crucial to ensuring such protected wildlife items are not smuggled,” Delhi Customs said.
A 2022 report by TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organization that monitors the wildlife trade, found that as India’s aviation sector rapidly grows, so too does “the misuse of airports for smuggling wildlife” within India and across the region.
Between 2011 and 2020, a total of 141 wildlife seizure incidents were reported at airports across India, involving 146 different animal species. Reptiles, including crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and tortoises, were the most commonly seized, making up 46% of these incidents.
“India is among the top ten countries in terms of using the airline sector for wildlife trafficking,” said Atul Bagai, then-Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in India, following the report’s release. “This is an unwanted accolade.”
The Indian government has taken steps to combat the trafficking of wild animals through its Wildlife Protection Act, and as a member of CITES, the leading international body regulating wildlife trade.
This Canadian traveler is not the first to attempt smuggling animals or animal parts in carry-on luggage.
In fact, last year, TSA agents discovered a four-foot-long live boa constrictor in a passenger’s bag at Florida’s Tampa Airport (TPA), sparking a wave of snake-related jokes on Instagram.
“Our officers … didn’t find this hyssssssterical!,” the agency said. “We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an X-ray machine.”
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