You may have heard the phrase “ants in your pants” but what about… snakes in your pants?
Apparently, it’s a thing, according to a report from The Guardian citing a Tuesday statement from China Customs. Per the report, a man was caught trying to enter mainland China with more than 100 live snakes in his trousers. This unnamed traveler was trying to leave Hong Kong – a semi-autonomous area – and enter nearby Shenzhen.
Readers are likely thinking that this operation sounds uncomfortable at the very least. The Guardian said China Customs explained a bit about how he almost pulled it off.
“Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape,” said the statement cited in the report. Inside these bags were live snakes of all different kinds, shapes, sizes and colors.
Overall, customs seized 104 of snakes. Some of them were even non-native species. According to The Guardian, a video “showed two border agents peering into transparent plastic bags filled with squirming red, pink and white snakes.”
The outlet said that China is one of the world’s biggest animal trafficking hubs. Still, it added that authorities have cracked down on the illegal animal trade in recent years and that country’s biosecurity and disease control laws forbid people from bringing in non-native species in without permission.
China may be an animal trafficking hub, but isn’t the only place where contraband snakes can be found. This February, Audacy reported that the New Orleans Police Department confiscated a 10-foot long python. Its owner was spotted by authorities in the French Quarter offering viewings of the snake.
Pythons can be dangerous to humans. Just last month, Audacy covered a story about a woman found dead inside the belly of 16-foot long python in Indonesia. In Florida, pythons have been found in 500 pound “mating balls” involving 11 snakes.
Last April, Audacy also reported on the case of a venomous snake hitching a ride on a plane in South Africa. That reptile slid up the pilot’s back at one point during the flight, according to reports, though he managed to safely land the plane.