ATLANTA – A man flying into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from South Korea recently brought more than souvenirs back with him.
Security officers at the airport found 30 snakes, a dead bird and pieces of several other birds in his luggage. The animals were all dead, but screeners took extra precautions because U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers warned that some of the snakes, which were packed inside jars and bottles, could still contain venom, said Jon Allen, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
The passenger, whose name has not been released, faces possible fines. The federal fish and wildlife department is still investigating the incident.
The animals were inside boxes checked as luggage on a Korean Air flight, which arrived in Atlanta on Aug. 15, officials said.
International baggage is routinely screened and it is not unusual to find animals and animal parts, TSA officials said. But such a large number of animals is odd, officials said.
Allen said he has no idea what the passenger intended to do with the creatures.
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