Image credit: Dr William Hayes / Wikipedia
Border Force officers at Heathrow have seized thirteen endangered iguanas whch were being smuggled through customs in a case.
The lizards, believed to be San Salvador Rock iguanas, were each wrapped in a sock and were discovered during a check at Terminal 5 on Monday.
Two Romanian women, aged 24 and 26, have been arrested on suspicion of importation offences. The pair were due to fly on to Dusseldorf in Germany having flown into the UK from the Bahamas.
Grant Millar, of the Border Force, said: “This particular species of iguana is incredibly rare – only a few hundred are believed to be left in existence – so this was a remarkable and very important seizure.
“Given the circumstances we found them in it seems incredible that all but one survived such a long flight.
“The surviving animals were dehydrated and are now under the supervision of a specialist vet.
“We are also working with experts to find the best way to protect and safeguard these endangered creatures longer term.”
The National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command is investigating the incident.