Leopard cub smuggled on flight from Thailand
An airline passenger managed to smuggle a leopard cub on to a flight from Thailand to India.
The female cub was found inside a plastic basket when the plane from Bangkok landed in Chennai.
The Times of India said customs officers made the discovery after selecting the man for random screening.
Apparently, they heard muffled cries coming from the man’s checked in luggage.
The tiny leopard was making ‘trill sounds and appeared to be weak’, airport officials said.
Video footage posted online shows the small cub looking confused and wandering across a blanket.
The cub, weighing just over 1kg, has been handed to the forest department and action will be taken against the man under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Authorities are investigating whether he is part of an international smuggling ring.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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