Yarara Snakes Among 247 Animals Man Fails to Get on Plane [VIDEO]
In what may be considered the closest real-life case of the movie Snakes on a Plane, a Czechoslovakian man was stopped from boarding a transatlantic flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Madrid, Spain for trafficking 247 animals, including five-foot venomous yarara snakes, in his suitcase, according to Agence France-Presse.
The discovery of the animals had actually been made earlier this month on Dec. 7 but only recently came to light. The AFP reports that a judge has charged 51-year-old Karel Abelovsky with attempted smuggling, which could mean 10 years in prison if Abelovsky convicted.
The 247 live animals Abelovsky brought onboard at Ezeiza Airport included poisonous snakes and endangered reptiles that baggage X-ray technicians and staff at the Iberia Airlines desk called organic substances moving inside
After personnel opened the bag, they astonishingly found more than 200 reptiles and mollusks, including South American pitvipers, several young boas and two yarara sankes, which can measure up to five feet, jammed inside clear plastic containers.
Two of the animals were found dead, and, according to AFP, had Abelovsky's suitcase been placed in the plane's cargo area, most of the other animals may have also died because of a lack of oxygen.
Researchers speculate that Abelovsky's trafficking attempt was part of an exotic species smuggling ring.
Watch a 30-second clip below via Next Media Animation that outlines the incident:
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