Endangered giant lizards intercepted in Pudong

The Shanghai Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Bureau intercepted a man carrying three giant lizards in a suitcase at Pudong International Airport last Friday.

The bureau officers at the airport checked the suitcase on the X-ray and asked the man, who was not identified, to open it. On examining it, the officers found the lizards inside a backpack. The man claimed they were Christmas gifts for his friends. The giant lizards, or Varanus salvator, is commonly seen in South and Southeast Asia and is listed as endangered species. Officers said nine parcels with various species had been intercepted at the airport by end of October.