Snakes alive and 104 of them in the pants

Michael Shum

Shenzhen customs officers in a bizarre incident discovered a man attempting to illegally transport 104 live snakes across the border from Hong Kong to the mainland in his pockets.

According to Shenzhen customs' WeChat post, "the male traveler was stopped and searched while passing through the green channel at the Futian checkpoint. Upon inspection, officers found six drawstring canvas bags, each sealed with plastic tape and containing live snakes of various colors and sizes."

The 104 snakes discovered included non-venomous species such as milksnakes, western hognose snakes, corn snakes, black rat snakes and bullsnakes.

While the black rat snakes are native, the other species are exotic and their importation into the mainland is prohibited without authorization.

Mainland laws and regulations strictly prohibit the introduction of exotic species into the country, whether by carrying them or using delivery services to transport live animals or plants.

People online expressed disgust and shock at the man's attempt to smuggle such a large number of snakes across the border.

One said "it's already making me sick just to see these 104 snakes on my screen, let alone putting them in my pockets."

This incident marks the largest case of snake smuggling at the Shenzhen border recently.

In December 2022, a woman was caught trying to smuggle six endangered wild snakes in her pocket, while in July 2022, another woman was arrested for hiding four corn snakes in her bra in a failed attempt to get them across the border.

Shenzhen customs have not released the name or age of the male traveler involved in the latest case.

However, they have emphasized that the introduction of exotic species without authorization is a violation of mainland laws and regulations.