Officials arrested a Taiwanese man at a Thailand airport Dec. 5 after customs officers discovered he was allegedly trying to smuggle a prairie dog and two otters onto a flight in his underwear, according to a report.
The man was heading to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, and allegedly put the animals in pantyhose before securing them around his waist with packing tape, according to Taiwan News. He was caught due to the X-ray machine at security at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The 22-year-old reportedly bought the animals in a Bangkok market, according to the New York Post. A video from the outlet shows the man cutting the socks containing the animals off of his boxers.
Once the animals were rescued, they were handed over to the nation’s wildlife conservation, per the NYP. The man will face charges for allegedly removing protected wildlife from their natural habitat, allegedly trying to export them without a license and allegedly trafficking prohibited items, per Taiwan News. If found guilty, he could face up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000.
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation posted photos of the found animals on Facebook.
This isn’t the first reported occurrence of animals being smuggled from Thailand. In October, a woman made it through security with live animals at the Suvarnabhumi Airport and boarded a flight to Taipei. She evaded detection until a passenger found a rat on their way to the bathroom, according to the Bangkok Post. Cabin staff then reportedly found an otter under a passenger’s seat. (RELATED: Horse Gets Loose On Cargo Plane Mid-Flight).
The woman had several other animals smuggled on the plane in a bag, including 20 Burmese star tortoises, two otters, two black giant squirrels, a prairie dog and a snake, per the outlet. The worker at the baggage screening was reportedly suspended after failing to search the bags, which were flagged as suspicious by another worker.