A Malaysian man attempted to smuggle 95 boas, 2 vipers, and 1 matamata turtle from Malaysia to Indonesia.
One of his bags broke and the staff at the Kuala Lumpur airport found the reptiles inside trying to be illegally transported.
Anson Wong pleaded guilty and will be fined 100,000 ringgit ($61,000) and spend six months in prison. The wildlife trade monitoring organization, TRAFFIC, is criticizing the Malaysian government for not getting tough on Wong. Wong could have faced up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $32,000 per snake.
Governments need to make it clear that the smuggling of animals is illegal and they mean business.
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