Customs officials recently made a very strange seizure in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Early September. One of the officers saw a woman wearing suspiciously loose clothing. Their search revealed 16 living Philippine sail lizards.
The woman, who the customs officer noticed because of her particularly loose clothing, had hidden the rare sailing lizards, which are also threatened by the illegal trade, in five mesh pockets in her bra (see video above). She wanted to smuggle the animals to neighboring Hong Kong.
Lizards discovered during body examination
As the woman strolled through customs checkpoints at Futian port, customs officials spotted her and ordered her body searched. Customs video shows officers removing the lizards from the bags and placing them in large plastic containers.
According to the IUNC, animals are considered endangered
Because the Philippine sail lizard has a relatively small range and is declining on some islands in the Philippines, it is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In the pet trade, up to 700 dollars (about 650 euros) are paid for one specimen.
Due to its attractive shape and color variability, the Philippine sail lizard is displayed in several zoos around the world and studies on the animals’ lifestyle are being conducted in various universities around the world.
Source: Krone
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