AN inbound Hong Kong man was caught by customs for illegally carrying live baby ball pythons to cross the border at Futian Checkpoint on Tuesday night, according to customs.

    The man, who wasn’t identified, was carrying a big backpack and hesitated when he passed an X-ray machine at the customs inspection area of the checkpoint before attempting to evade X-ray detection.

    Customs officers asked him to let them check his bag and felt that something inside the backpack was moving.

    The traveler later admitted that he was carrying live baby pythons, which are snakes that are often kept as pets because they are docile and easy to handle.

    When customs officers opened the backpack, they found 98 snakes that were kept separately in a dozen of white cloth bags.

    The baby pythons were less than 20 centimeters in length and looked cute. They roll themselves into a tight ball and tuck their head inside their coil when threatened. Young ball pythons will grow about 30 centimeters a year for three years.

    On the same day, Huanggang Customs seized 80 live snakes and 10 live turtles in two other smuggling cases at the checkpoint.

    The snakes and turtles have been handed over to the quarantine department for investigation.

    According to related regulations, an inbound traveler can carry a quarantined pet dog or cat, but other pets or live animals are forbidden. (Han Ximin)