A Czech national man could be sentenced to 10 years in prison after X-ray technicians at an Argentinian airport noticed “organic substances moving inside” his suitcase. What were those substances? 247 live animals, including poisonous snakes and endangered reptiles, that the man planned to take on board a transatlantic flight.
AFP reports the man, 51-year-old Karel Abelovsky, was on his way to Madrid when airport personnel stopped him to inspect his bag:
“When they opened the bag, they found more than 200 reptiles and mollusks, among them nine species of poisonous snakes including South American pitvipers, packed in clear plastic containers.
There were also 15 venomous vipers, including two yararas — which can measure up to 1.50 meters (five feet) — and several young boas.”
The incident occurred on December 7 but has come to media recently as Abelovsky has been charged with attempted smuggling. Two of the animals in his bag were found dead and AFP reports that others could have suffered the same fate due to lack of oxygen in the suitcase.
The case brings to mind the recent Samuel L. Jackson Action/Horror/Inadvertent Comedy, Snakes on a Plane:
Submitting your tip... please wait!
right-wing-waco
Dec. 27, 2011 at 2:39pmI hear that there is usually a snake on Air Force 1 too. One that squeezes the life out of the economy.
Report this comment
MCDAVE
Dec. 27, 2011 at 3:03pmcongress already infested too
Report this comment
pap pap
Dec. 27, 2011 at 1:21pmThis is animal abuse for potential profit. Now the animal abuser needs to be abused.
Report this comment
aquablue
Dec. 27, 2011 at 11:30amI wish people wouldn’t encourage this by illegally buying snakes only to confine them in a small cage, just so they can own and look at them. Respect life.
Report this comment
MCDAVE
Dec. 27, 2011 at 3:16pmYou can buy almost any type of reptile there is at these exotic pet expo’s …bearded dragons make a good pet..feed themselves all summer long in the yard on clover and insects
Report this comment
Hickory
Dec. 27, 2011 at 10:04amJust put him in a pit with a couple of hundred poisonous snakes. Nature will take care of the rest.
Report this comment
seldomscene
Dec. 27, 2011 at 10:08amSis, did the TSA take a bite out of one of them?
Report this comment
Moseyspeed
Dec. 27, 2011 at 8:07amAt least they weren’t muffins…..
Report this comment
Poggle The Stick
Dec. 26, 2011 at 9:11pmA very, very snakey man.
Report this comment
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Dec. 26, 2011 at 11:08pmCould have been worse, the plane may have been filled with Progressive Congress members.
Report this comment
Secret Squirrel
Dec. 27, 2011 at 7:37am.
I’ve heard of “trouser snakes” but this is too much.
Report this comment
Jenny Lind
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:42pmAnother good reason not to fly! Where in h… are all these people coming from?
Report this comment
1casawizard
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:27pmI done it before. Why caint I do it now? They aint hurtin nobody.
Report this comment
MrMagoo
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:42pmTell that to the people of Florida and the nasty non-native snake species they have to contend with.
Report this comment
1casawizard
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:45pmOn a proper note about the snakes. Poisonous snakes are poison only when ingested. (who eats live snakes)? Venomous snakes inject venom which can make you sick or kill. How can someone carry 247 mixed variety snakes in a suitcase? WTF? A lot of these musta been babies so the rest coulda survived the flight. The person trying to pull this off musta been desperate, an idiot, or both.
Report this comment
1casawizard
Dec. 26, 2011 at 9:16pm@MRMAGOO, The Boas and Burmas among other non-native species to Fla. come from pets who have been brought to Fla. from ANYWHERE. I know there is a concern and rightly so. I have seen people bring reptiles from Asia, Africa, Vietnam,Laos only to have and to breed. They raise, breed, and sell to willing buyer. This is what they have made money on in their country so they try to make money here doing same. These pets? can get so big that the owners want to let the animal survive on its’ own instead of disposing of it. they will let it loose wherever. A lot of these animals have no natural predators so we have to decide which and when to hunt. This is an opportunity for entry level positions as game wardens in any state in the S.E. U.S.
Report this comment
MrMagoo
Dec. 26, 2011 at 10:43pm1CASAWIZARD,
“This is an opportunity for entry level positions as game wardens in any state in the S.E. U.S.”
So when terrorists come into the USA and attack our country from airplanes,its an opportunity for entry level positions as TSA agents in any State?
Look what that’s got us.
Better to nip it in the bud before it blossoms.Animals included.
Report this comment
booger71
Dec. 27, 2011 at 12:11amThis is an opportunity for entry level positions as game wardens in any state in the S.E. U.S.”
————————————–
A game warden wants to manage deer herds not Constrictors.
Report this comment
1casawizard
Dec. 27, 2011 at 12:41am@Mr MAGOO, You went overboard on this one. This vent is about animals and you started talking about human animals. Terrorist humans and animals are different. One has to survive and the other has religious beliefs to kill others make their point in order to meet their 72 year old virgin male.
Report this comment
1casawizard
Dec. 27, 2011 at 1:02am@BOOGER71. Concerning your constrictors, there is not a concern about how many are harvested as with deer or any other protected species. WTF? Are there any concerns about boas, coyotes, or boars? You can kill,leave or carry with you as many as want where I’m at. Game police don’t look at that because snakes don’t wreck cars unless the burmas grow big enough.
Report this comment
65Mustang
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:24pmThis man needs to serve some time in prison, preferably one that is severe in its treatment of stupid people like this idiot.
Report this comment
SHASTADIANE1
Dec. 26, 2011 at 11:43pmGive him to Sheriff Joe as this dude is trying to bring in illegal aliens, of the legless kind…YIKES!
Report this comment
AmericanStrega
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:14pmGlad I no longer fly the unfriendly skies.
Report this comment
SeekerEmerald
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:11pmWhat a moron… Has he no clue that the animals would suffocate? They would not even survive long enough to freeze in the (unheated) cargo section of the plane. And lets not forget the question of whether to cargo area is pressurized on his particular plane or not…
Report this comment
Detroit paperboy
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:02pmWhata weirdo…
Report this comment
Darla_K
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:00pmCrazy fool. Glad he got caught.
Report this comment
GeneTracy
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:05pmI agree.Flying now days can be unpleasant enough,especially with the involvement of our TSA “friends”.Then add this to the mix,YIKES!
Report this comment
chips1
Dec. 26, 2011 at 8:38pmWe sure could use a muslim snake czar. Creating jobs is what Obama does best. He said so!!!!
Report this comment