Two Indian women have been arrested at Bangkok airport in Thailand for trying to leave more than 100 live wild animals hidden in a suitcase.
According to the Daily Bangkok Post on the 28th, they were caught in an X-ray scan before boarding the plane after putting 109 wild animals in their luggage at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand on the 27th.
The carrier contained 35 turtles, 50 lizards, 20 snakes, 2 white porcupines and 2 armadillos.
The two women, aged 38 and 24 respectively, were scheduled to fly from Bangkok to Chennai, India on Thai Airways.
They also have records of being detained or prosecuted for violating the Wildlife Protection Act and Customs Act in 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Airport authorities have turned the two over to the police for legal action.
Wildlife officials speculated they were trying to smuggle wild animals out of Thailand and trade them in India.
As the demand for exotic wild animals in India has recently increased, attempts to smuggle them from major tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Malaysia, continue.
Last week, a passenger who arrived in Chennai on a flight from Bangkok was caught trying to smuggle wild animals into the airport.
(Photo = Bangkok Post Facebook capture, Yonhap News)