An Indian was arrested on Tuesday with a real menagerie in his suitcases at Bangkok International Airport (Thailand).
The man was about to board the plane with 17 live animals in his luggage, according to the Thai wildlife protection.
Officers discovered eight marmosets, a fennec, a raccoon, three iguanas, two monitor lizards and two white pythons during an X-ray baggage check. All were in plastic baskets hidden behind food.
The 21-year-old owner of the luggage was immediately arrested.
VIDEO: An Indian man has been arrested at Thailand's main airport attempting to smuggle out a menagerie of live creatures including a white desert fox and a raccoon.
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers -- who often sell the animals to China and Vietnam.
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A hub of animal trafficking
According to the authorities, the market value of all these animals, some of which do not live in the wild in Thailand, is around 2,700 dollars.
"We haven't found microchips on these animals, so we don't know where they came from," an official said.
The animals found were sent to veterinarians for examinations.
Thailand is a notorious hub for wildlife trafficking, usually destined for major markets like Vietnam or China, where they are used in traditional medicine.
At the end of June, two Indian women were arrested at the same Bangkok airport with more than 100 live animals in their luggage, including 35 turtles and 50 chameleons.
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