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Germany: The Flight of the Iguana Germany: The Flight of the Iguana
(about 11 hours later)
A bizarre cargo of more than 80 exotic reptiles, including four horned vipers and an iguana, attracted the attention of an alert customs official at Frankfurt Airport this week. During a routine inspection of luggage in transit, the official found 50 turtles, 30 arboreal alligator lizards, the snakes and the iguana in one suitcase. Several reptiles were stuffed into cloth bags or boxes, and the snakes were entangled in women’s stockings, said Hans-Jürgen Schmidt, a customs spokesman. The owner of the bag, traveling from Mexico City to Barcelona, was detained Tuesday before boarding his flight to Spain, Mr. Schmidt said. The passenger, a 44-year-old Mexican, who cannot be named under German privacy laws, is under investigation to determine whether he violated laws on the protection of endangered species and the treatment of animals. Five turtles have died, and most of the reptiles, which have been moved to the Frankfurt zoo, were in bad shape, Mr. Schmidt said. The potential sale value of the cargo was as much as $82,000, he said. A bizarre cargo of more than 80 exotic reptiles, including four horned vipers and an iguana, attracted the attention of an alert customs official at Frankfurt Airport this week. During a routine inspection of luggage in transit, the official found 50 turtles, 30 arboreal alligator lizards, the snakes and the iguana in one suitcase. Several reptiles were stuffed into cloth bags or boxes, and the snakes were entangled in women’s stockings, said Hans-Jürgen Schmidt, a customs spokesman. The owner of the bag, traveling from Mexico City to Barcelona, was detained Tuesday before boarding his flight to Spain, Mr. Schmidt said. The passenger, a 44-year-old Mexican, who cannot be named under German privacy laws, is under investigation to determine whether he violated laws on the protection of endangered species and the treatment of animals. Three turtles have died, and most of the reptiles, which have been moved to the Frankfurt zoo, were in bad shape, Mr. Schmidt said. The potential sale value of the cargo was as much as $82,000, he said.