Chitweed
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 21 May 2007
Location: Delaware, USA
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:35 pm Post subject: Strange but True |
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I thought this was interesting...
SYDNEY — What's in a gnome? For surprised Australian customs officials, the answer was snakes and lizards.
During a routine check of international mail on June 10, an officer discovered two snakes and three lizards stuffed inside three of the diminutive garden figurines in a shipment from Britain.
"When the package was opened, the officer spotted several snakes moving about. The package was immediately resealed," Australian customs said Tuesday in a statement.
A day later, officials at the same facility X-rayed another package from Britain and found five snakes and five lizards stuffed inside pottery figures and other ornaments.
Both packages had been had been declared as gifts.
It was not immediately clear what types of snakes and lizards were in the shipments.
It is illegal to bring live reptiles into Australia without a license. No one was arrested over the incident, but customs said its investigation was continuing.
Wildlife smuggling carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and fines of up to $92,000 if convicted.
The reptiles had to be euthanized due to quarantine regulations.
Picture here:
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/06/19/789286-reptiles-smuggled-in-garden-gnomes
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But make no mistake: the weeds will win; nature bats last.
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TheBip
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
Location: Indianapolis, IN (Map)
Posts: 523
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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I read about that a few days ago o_O Thats a weird picture! *lol*
Its so sad that people do that tho. Poor critters...
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Chitweed
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 21 May 2007
Location: Delaware, USA
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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I was feeling bad for the poor snakes too.
Yes, a weird picture! It is actually what caught me eye to read the article.
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But make no mistake: the weeds will win; nature bats last.
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eileen
Moderator & Resident Taxonomist
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Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Location: Scotland (Map)
Posts: 11722
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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I sincerely hope they find the person, or persons, responsible for smuggling these reptiles into Australia. I can just imagine the distress the poor creatures must have been in with being packaged in such a manner.  If these people aren't caught then they will simply keep illegally exporting other animals in this fashion.  They don't seem to care that they could also be sending diseases and parasites into another country along with the livestock.
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Capt Kirk
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Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 1748
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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I always suspected that gnomes had tails and that picture proves it! Do you think Frank has a tail?
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Frank
Happy Gardening
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Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Location: Malmö, Sweden
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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I caught this on BBC News also. The darker sde of garden gnomes  Be afraid!
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Capt Kirk
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Joined: 10 Sep 2005
Location: Ohio, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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No wonder he had an upset stomach!
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