A man traveling into China was recently caught attempting to smuggle over 100 live snakes of various sizes in his pants, as reported by media outlets. The customs officers inspecting the passenger discovered that his trousers were filled with sealed canvas drawstring bags containing live snakes of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The majority of the snakes involved in this smuggling attempt were found to be non-native species, and the man had tried to transport them from Hong Kong into the Chinese border city of Shenzhen.
This incident, although peculiar in nature, sheds light on a larger issue, particularly in China, which serves as a major hub for illegal wildlife trade. The illegal smuggling of environmental and wildlife products poses a threat to native animal species and contributes to a $20 billion black market annually, making it the third-largest illegal trading syndicate globally, behind drugs and counterfeit food, according to Moody’s. Additionally, a report by Interpol in 2023 highlighted the significant environmental damage caused by poaching and illegal wildlife trade, further noting that around 100 rangers are killed each year by illegal poachers.
