NAIROBI, Kenya July 16 – When customs officers at a border-crossing point between mainland China and Hong Kong stopped a strangely shaped woman attempting to pass they were in for a slithering surprise.
Late last month, the officers at Futian port in the city of Shenzhen, which neighbours the Special Administrative Region, discovered that the woman had five pet snakes hidden in her bra.
News of the unusual reptilian round-up was posted by China Customs on its official WeChat account on July 8.
It said customs officers noticed a woman with a “weird” body shape and stopped her for an inspection. They found five live corn snakes wrapped in stockings against her chest.
The corn snakes found inside the woman’s undergarments are native to the United States. Photo: Huanggang Customs Department
The officers handed the snakes over to relevant authorities.
Reptile collectors account for 5.8 per cent of China’s tens of millions of pet owners, according to the 2021 China Pet Industry White Paper by the analytics company Pethadoop which was supervised by the China Pet Industry Association.
The corn snake is native to the southeastern United States and is growing in popularity among Chinese animal lovers thanks to its mild character and beautiful colours.
According to China’s customs regulations, animals imported from abroad must be declared and undergo quarantine examinations to prevent ecological damage and transmission of foreign diseases.
Mainland social media observers were shocked by the woman’s brazen smuggling attempt.
“I wouldn’t even touch them, never mind hide them in my bra,” said one commenter.
“I won’t even look at snakes on my phone,” said another.
Others said they were impressed by the eagle-eyed customs officers.
“It is amazing that the officers are able to spot people with weird figures or expressions in the crowd,” one social media observer said.
For educational purposes, China customs often publishes information about the strange things people try to smuggle. Photo: Huanggang Customs Department
It is not the first time social media has been amused by stories about the strange items confiscated by Chinese customs, which frequently posts cases online for educational purposes.
Previous viral cases include a man who was caught hiding 112 Nintendo Switch game cards in his shoes at Futian port in June.
In January, customs officers noticed a woman walking in a “strange” way at Chung Ying Street on the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The officers later found 2,415 SD cards hidden in her underwear.
Last month, a man was arrested for trying to smuggle six live ball pythons – a threatened species and popular exotic pet – by hiding them in cotton socks while entering Shenzhen through the Futian port.
