Odd News

Authorities from the Cairo International Airport stopped a man, just moments before he boarded to a Saudi Arabia airplane with bags filled with live snakes, infant Nile crocodiles and chameleons. The airport's police became suspicious when the X-ray machines at the departure gate revealed unusual readings inside his luggage. The man of 22 years called Anas said that he wasn't aware that transporting live reptiles was illegal in Egypt and he was allowed to return to Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He claimed that the reptiles were needed for scientific research. In his luggage the police founded 250 baby crocodiles, a cobra, squirming to escape and chameleons. "This is the largest smuggling attempt of Nile crocodiles in the whole of aviation history," airport vet Yusef Mamduh said. Witnesses said the discovery created panic among security personnel at the airport. The animals were confiscated and turned over to Cairo Zoo. In May, another Saudi tried to smuggle 700 live snakes from Egypt in his carry-on luggage. His explanation was that snakes were often kept in Saudi Arabia by storekeepers in glass jars or as pets.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070809/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_virgin_america;_ylt=AldFiiwa0DCosPioFc30NISs0NUE

by Delia Cruceru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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