Airport officials at Chennai airport became suspicious of a passenger when they heard noises coming from his bag. They searched through his luggage and discovered a baby leopard.
The one-month-old cub was found in a plastic grocery basket in a suitcase of a man who had traveled from Bangkok, Thailand, and had just arrived in India. He was detained after customs officials discovered the cub.
"A 45-year-old Chennai-based man Kaja Moideen who works in Kuala Lumpur has been arrested and [an] investigation is on," Customs Commissioner Rajan Chaudhary told NDTV.
Apparently, Moideen was "evasive in his replies" when questioned by customs officers. Authorities are investigating whether he is a member of an international smuggling ring.
"He says he was supposed to handover it to someone at the Chennai airport. We made him wait, but no one came," a said a senior officer.
As for the baby leopard, it was exhausted after its traumatic journey.
"The animal was in a state of shock and was making trill sounds, and appeared to be weak," airport officials said.
Video footage was shared on Twitter showing officials trying to bottle-feed the squirming leopard cub milk.
The baby leopard was assessed by veterinarians and was taken to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai, where it will be cared for according to India's NDTV.
A leopard cub is not the craziest animal to be smuggled through an airport. India airport officials discovered a venomous snake in a man's pants in November, while Canadian officials bagged a man for smuggling 5,000 leeches through Toronto International Airport.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
