A snake has been seized by officials from the Philippines’ Bureau of Customs (BOC) after the animal was found hidden inside a Bluetooth speaker on Sunday.
The snake was identified as a reticulated python, Radyo Inquirer reported. An airport examiner decided to investigate the speaker after it went through an x-ray in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The x-ray image looked strange — there was literally an animal in there — and so the examiner took the speaker apart, ABS-CBN News reported.
Customs collector Carmelita Talusan told ABS-CBN News that the package containing the speaker and the snake were headed for Malaysia.
While the snake only measured 20 inches at that time, the reticulated python is actually known as one of the world’s longest snakes as it can grow up to 33 feet. They’re also carnivorous animals who swallow their food whole. They kill their prey — which have included humans — by wrapping around them and squeezing. So yes, it’s scary.
The snake found in NAIA has been turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The BOC plans to coordinate with the shipping company linked to the package in order to figure out the identities of its sender and recipient.
Reticulated pythons are native to South and Southeast Asia. Talusan told The Philippine Star that trading wildlife without permits is a violation of Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act in relation to RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Those proven to have violated the law may be imprisoned for one to two years and fined PHP2,000 (US$38.52) to PHP200,000 (US3,851.61).
