Vienna airport customs officials have rescued almost 90 reptiles, mostly geckos, crammed into boxes inside several bags, Austria’s finance ministry said on Tuesday.
The animals — 85 geckos of various species, two snakes and two scorpions — were worth some 47,000 euros ($51,000) in total and found in three transport boxes on May 23, the ministry said.
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A 50-year-old Czech citizen is suspected of illegally transporting the animals on a flight from Addis Ababa to Vienna, it added.
When questioned, the man said the reptiles were “worthless”, insisting he only took the geckos to feed the snakes.
The reptiles — some in a “very bad” condition and showing signs of dehydration — have recovered well so far and are at Vienna’s Schoenbrunn Zoo for now.
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