A Russian tourist was arrested at Bali Airport for attempting to smuggle endangered wildlife out of the country.
The tourist, named only by the initials of RT, was stopped at security screening and found to be carrying four baby otters. The Eurasian otter is a protected species in Indonesia.
Officers also found live scorpions in the passenger’s luggage. "The security in Ngurah Rai International airport detected living objects inside the trunk of a Russian passenger during an X-ray scan. When they checked they found four otters and 10 scorpions," said Budhy Kurniawan of the Bali natural resources conservation agency.
The sheer size of the Indonesian archipelago, abundant wildlife and lax park management makes the country a hotbed for animal smuggling.
The famous Komodo Dragon has been a target for smugglers recently and two months ago another Russian tourist was caught at Bali Airport trying to smuggle a drugged baby orang-utan inside a suitcase.
