A man in Hong Kong was arrested yesterday for stuffing his luggage with 46 live animals, presumably for sale on the black market. Some animals were crammed into the tiny boxes pictured above.
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He traveled fro two endangered Angonoka tortoises, 21 hedgehogs, and 23 sugar gliders into boxes filled with packing materials with small holes punched into the sides to allow the animals to breathe.
The man will be charged under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, and the Rabies Ordinance. These charges have a maximum penalty of $200,000 and spend 3 years in jail, $5 million and two years in jail, and $50,000 and one year in jail respectively.
The black market for rare animals in Hong Kong is among the largest in the world. Last year, 2,838 reptiles, 10 dogs, four cats, and four other mammals were confiscated from smugglers trying to bring them into the city.
So who do you think is worse — this doofus or the guy who tried to sneak through airport security with pigeons in his pants?
Photos courtesey of Hong Kong’s Agriculture and Fisheries Department.
