Passenger caught with snakes in baggage

Security staffers at the Abu Dhabi airport were in for a shock when one of them spotted something moving inside a passenger’s cabin baggage and discovered it was loaded with a slew of animals including four snakes.

The passenger, a Gulf national in transit from Jakarta, Indonesia, to a neighbouring GCC country, also carried two parrots and a squirrel – all alive inside a box.

The content was discovered when a member of the airport staff noticed something moving inside the bag during a pre-flight baggage check. The man, whose identity and destination was not disclosed, had just arrived from Jakarta and was boarding another flight to his home country.

Brigadier Khamis Musabah Al Merr of Abu Dhabi Police said the man was later allowed to continue his onward journey sans the animals which are now under the protective custody of the police who will transfer them to Ministry of Environment officials.

The passenger was not allowed to carry the animals since he did not have a certificate to carry them. Neither did they have health certificates which are mandatory to avoid transmission of diseases they might be carrying, the police official said.

Al Merr warned passengers not to carry animals without the required documentation as they be dangerous to passengers on board. Besides, taking animals in personal baggage is prohibited anywhere in the world as they need to be well-secured in prescribed cages and carried in the cargo bay of passenger aircraft.

While the police have not identified the breed of the snake, 7 Days newspaper reported that officials at Al Ain Wildlife Park who had a look at their pictures said they were reticulated and blood pythons. Native to Southeast Asia, adult reticulated pythons can grow up to nine metres.